


Wherever You Will Go

by Calvi_sama, Madisuzy



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: M/M, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-05-12
Updated: 2010-05-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:59:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5959821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calvi_sama/pseuds/Calvi_sama, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madisuzy/pseuds/Madisuzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From an erotic chance encounter blossoms a love that will test both men's desire and devotion and will send them on a journey of self discovery that will change both of their lives forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Vincent, Irvine written by Calvi_sama, Laguna, Kiros written by Madisuzy
> 
> Title is taken from the song – Wherever You Will Go by The Calling.

Sitting in the pitiful attempt at a trendy café, Vincent Valentine felt horribly out of place and very, very naked. He had left behind his red cloak and mantle – at Reeve's insistence – as well as his gauntlet, leaving in place the black glove. He had drawn the line at leaving behind Cerberus, so the gun remained strapped to his thigh. He wasn't quite sure how he had gotten volunteered for this little 'job', but he suspected his innate gullibility had something to do with it.

Vincent winced and glanced again at the clock on the wall. He still had fifteen minutes. Reeve had called him on short notice and all but begged him to meet with his liaison from a small, peaceful country called Esthar that he had been negotiating with for the past several months. But the commissioner was eternally busy and it had earned him a large favor in return, so he had swallowed his discomfort and agreed to do it. Sighing, he looked again at the clock and saw that it was straight up 12:00 and still no sign of this woman.

Laguna's eyes darted around the streets as he walked along nervously. Gods, this was not his day. He was supposed to meet some guy that Reeve had sent and he couldn't even find the damn place. It'd been years since he'd done anything like this, more used to sitting in an office all day and filling in paperwork. Now, here he was, sneaking around in a bloody cape like a Halloween reject, trying to find some café.

Stopping to check the piece of paper he'd written directions on, he looked up to find it two doors down. Typical. He'd already walked past this place twice. He resisted the urge to flee and took a deep breath as he opened the door.

Stepping inside, he looked around the room quickly before the host appeared and told him which table he was looking for. He peeked out from his hood to see a young, handsome man looking less than thrilled to be there. _Great, this should be fun._

Vincent had been about to get up and leave when the bell on the door tinkled merrily and a cloaked figure entered, stopping just inside the entrance. The host walked up and spoke with the individual for a moment before pointing to his table. Another few words were exchanged and as the hooded individual approached, Vincent stood to meet the stranger.

As the hood was thrown back, he was rather stunned to see not a woman, but a man. A very beautiful, intelligent and gentle-looking man. Blinking in shock for a moment, he managed to collect his wits and held out his hand.

"Thank you for being prompt. My name is Vincent, Vincent Valentine. Please, will you join me?"

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Valentine. I'm Laguna Loire," Laguna answered softly, smiling and taking the hand that was offered. Red eyes peered back at him and he couldn't help but stare. He'd never seen anyone with red eyes before.

"Likewise, Mr Loire," Vincent murmured. It was a reaction he was well used to, having had to deal with it his whole life. The other youths at the academy had been the worst. He sighed and glanced down at his lap as they took their seats before returning his gaze to Laguna's. "My father had them too. They pass down the male line of my family." He paused a moment and studied the soft features of his companion's face, but what drew him the most was the kindness he saw in the man's deep, green eyes. There were faint wrinkles at the corners, evidence of much smiling, but there was a deep sadness there as well and he wondered for a moment what had happened to put it there. But that was a question for another time and another place. "Have you enjoyed your stay so far?" He winced a little. Really, he was not suited to the finer sport that was politics.

"I… I'm sorry," Laguna stuttered, feeling his cheeks redden. _Damn, fuck!_ He hadn't meant to stare at his eyes. It wasn't like they were ugly. Actually it only increased the young man's attractiveness, giving him an exotic look. Laguna had a huge weakness for anything a little different… and he was not going to follow that line of thought right now.

"Yes, my stay has been very interesting. It's very different here from back home," he answered, looking down at the table to try and hide his blush. "How is Reeve?"

Vincent snorted and replied, "Busy, as usual." He watched Laguna's face redden and thought idly that it made the man most fetching. He squashed that thought quickly, as it was most inappropriate given the situation and he didn't want to make Laguna any more uncomfortable than he clearly already was. "Please do not apologize, Mr. Loire. I am aware of the… uniqueness of my eye color, and I would like to put you at ease by saying that I am quite used to curious scrutiny."

He hazarded a tentative smile, not used to such expressions. "I regret that I am not familiar with your country, as in the past it has not held much appeal for my…employer." _Whoa, Valentine. The man's creeped out as it is, I don't think finding out that you're nearly seventy years old is going to help._ "Tell me about it, if you would be kind enough to indulge me?"

Laguna looked up just in time to see Vincent smile, his breath catching in his throat at the younger man's beauty. _Gods, concentrate Laguna!_ he berated himself, smiling back. At least his faux pas hadn't offended his colleague.

"My country? Well, it's very different from here. Brighter would probably be the first word that comes to mind. Our buildings are not made of concrete but an alloy that resembles glass. It has an extensive network of… well, I suppose you could call them elevators except they go sideways and are encased in a kind of tunnel. These tunnels crisscross the whole city, giving it a strange look. Visitors often say it looks like something out of a science fiction novel. It doesn't have the pollution problem that seems to exist here either," Laguna rambled before stopping himself and looking down at his hands. Great, there goes his mouth again. Why did he always babble on like a fool when he was nervous?

"Mr. Loire… may I call you Laguna?" Vincent asked leaning forward, the movement making his companion look back up and nod in agreement. "Please, be at ease. If I make you that nervous I can request someone else see to your needs…" _That came out awkward_ , he thought.

"I have to apologize for my nerves. It isn't often I get the chance to meet new people and I'm a little out of practice. I've spent most of my days for the past ten years or so behind a desk. Be assured, it has nothing whatsoever to do with you, Mr Valentine." He definitely didn't want to get stuck with someone else. Vincent was the first attractive person he'd seen since arriving in this depressing city and the young man was well spoken and seemed to hold an intelligence beyond his years.

Vincent found another smile calling his lips home at Laguna's words. "Then it seems that we are on equal footing, Laguna, as I am not accustomed to dealing with others as well. And please, call me Vincent." Leaning back in his chair, he continued, "I should like to visit your country, as this one has much darkness, which tends to weigh upon one's soul." _Yeowch, Valentine, ease up. Reeve is trying to negotiate relations with this country and if you don't shut it you're going to torch all that work_. "Forgive me. I… I tend to let my personal life, such as it is, color my opinion of many things. Please, continue."

"I don't mean to insult your homeland, but I do find it rather bleak. I have to admit that I've been on edge since arriving. It has a certain undercurrent that I haven't experienced in a long time." Laguna frowned a little then, remembering things better forgotten. Running a hand through his hair, he pulled up a smile as he continued. "You must come and visit Esthar. I am sure you would enjoy the city as much as I do."

The waiter then came over and asked for their orders, which were placed and their drinks brought back to them. Vincent picked up his tea and sipped it as he turned in his seat to cross his legs, while his free hand came up to rest on the table, forefinger tapping unconsciously. "Tell me, Laguna, have you always been in politics? You seem far too kind for that line of work." He grinned, cocking an eyebrow.

Laguna sipped his coffee, peering over the edge of the cup as Vincent shifted in his chair and crossed his legs. Long legs that he couldn't resist glancing at briefly. He looked back up to see Vincent grinning at him with an eyebrow up… swallowing he tried to ignore the effect that grin had on him.

"Well, no. I started out as a trooper in the army. Was never any good at it though. Did have a brief stint as a writer as well. Never planned on getting into politics until I kind of fell into the position. It was supposed to be a temporary thing, but here I am, years later and still doing it."

Vincent frowned slightly at Laguna's mention of the Army. He couldn't believe that such a gentle-seeming man was trained to kill. He shook his head and took another sip of tea. "But where are my manners. Here I sit interrogating you and not offering of myself in return. Is there anything you wish to know?" He hadn't missed Laguna's roaming eyes and felt a small thrill clench in his belly. He hadn't expected to be attracted to this man, but life was full of surprises, was it not?

"Have you always lived here and worked for Reeve?" Laguna asked, still hiding behind his coffee.

Vincent shook his head. "No. I've never worked for Reeve per se." He took a moment to consider his word choice. "We fought together and have known each other for several years now. As for living," he snorted softly, "I don't really live anywhere. I suppose I've lived the longest here, out of all of the places I've been. However, I've stayed the longest amount of time in Neibelheim, a rather bleak town far to the west of here." He took another sip of tea, and studied the contents of the mug.

"Oh, I see," Laguna answered. He could feel there was a lot that Vincent wasn't saying and his wording was rather peculiar… _lived the longest here but stayed the longest in Neibelheim?_ "Do you have family in Neibelheim?"

Vincent looked back up at Laguna's perplexed and leery expression, and it wasn't difficult to ascertain the cause behind it. "It's a rather long and very unpleasant story, I'm afraid. But in answer to your question, no, I do not have any family in Neibelheim. My parents are both deceased many years now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Laguna answered quickly. If Vincent's expression was anything to go by, it was time to change the subject. But to what? Laguna chewed on his bottom lip in thought.

Shaking his head, Vincent reassured him, "Don't be. What is done is done and I hardly remember my parents anymore. I would be willing to share my story with you, but I would require a less… public environment." He didn't know why, but he wasn't apprehensive about sharing who he was with Laguna. The man made him feel comfortable…soothed him, and Vincent found that refreshing. "How about you? Do you have a family?"

Vincent's question took Laguna a little off guard and he flinched before he could stop himself. Looking back into the young man's eyes, he took a deep breath before continuing.

"I was married, but she passed on a long time ago. I do have a son but our relationship is rocky, at best. Can't really be helped since we only found out about each other a couple of years back and we don't have much in common. He finds me… well embarrassing probably best describes his thoughts. He's an amazing young man and I'm very proud of him, though." Laguna smiled again, thinking of Squall.

"It shows," Vincent murmured, and then reached across the table to touch Laguna's hand with his un-gloved one. The other's skin was warm and smooth. "I am sorry about your wife. It is never easy to lose a loved one." He drew back and blinked slowly. "And as for your son, I am sure he is young and impetuous. In time he will come to appreciate you. You do not need to wield a weapon to be considered powerful, Laguna. Words can cut far more deeply than any sword."

Laguna's whole body reacted to the small, supportive touch of Vincent's hand. He felt his cheeks burn as his cock hardened under the table. _Oh, shit._ It really had been far too long since anyone had touched him. He smiled to try to cover up his embarrassment and thanked the gods that their food arrived to save him at just the right moment.

 _He's lovely_ , Vincent thought as he watched Laguna, cheeks a brilliant crimson, dig into his meal. Vincent smiled and slowly began to eat the simple salad he had ordered, mostly to put his companion at ease and not out of any real desire for food. They ate for a while longer in relaxed and companionable silence before he asked, "Is there anything you would like to see while you are here, Laguna?"

Looking up, Laguna considered Vincent's question. Well, he could think of one thing, but there was no way he was going to proposition the young man when they'd only just met. It wasn't like someone as beautiful as Vincent would be interested in an old man like him anyway.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know much about this city, to tell you the truth. Is there anywhere you would suggest?" he asked instead.

Vincent grinned again, flashing perfect white teeth. He had been hoping Laguna would ask that. He pretended to consider the question, so as not to make him out to be over-eager. "As a matter of fact, yes, there is a place I would like to show you. Reeve had it commissioned in honor of a fallen and much beloved comrade. I believe you might like it."

"I'd love to see it," Laguna answered eagerly. Truthfully, he'd go to look at a garbage dump if Vincent suggested it at the moment.

"Good," Vincent said and continued eating. When they finished, he flagged the waiter and asked for the check. He paid for the meal, leaving a generous tip and stood, waiting for Laguna to stand as well before leading them out of the café. His sharp eyes scanned passing faces and buildings as they made their way to what eventually became revealed as a small park. Splashes of green amidst the drab grays, browns and blacks of the city, interspersed with spots of bright yellow as lilies found their way up to meet the sun, greeted their eyes. Even the air here felt and smelled of fresh rain and new growth.

"This was created in memory of Aerith Gainsborough. I'd like to think a part of her lingers here to keep everything so beautiful." He walked forward and into a shaft of sunlight and tilted his head back, wistful smile on his lips. "Even one such as I do not feel so burdened by life here. It is easy to forget that evil even exists when surrounded by such simple beauty." He looked back over a Laguna, his carmine eyes shining.

"Beauty indeed," Laguna mumbled as he stared at Vincent, who was glowing in the sunlight. Tearing his eyes away, he looked around at the park. It looked so out of place in this city, an oasis of life amongst the desert of concrete. "Aerith must have been a very special lady," he mused, glancing back to Vincent, their eyes locking together.

Vincent nodded. "She was." He walked over to Laguna to stand very close, so close that he could see flecks of deepest gold in the other man's eyes. He was hypnotized, and was completely content to be so captured. He stared down into Laguna face a moment before he quite daringly brought his bare hand up to run the backs of his fingers down one pale cheek. "You are so quiet. Have you nothing more to say?"

Laguna was frozen to the spot. He couldn't think, couldn't reply… gods, he couldn't even breathe. Vincent was so close and he was touching his face in a gesture that could only be taken one way. Granted, it was exactly what Laguna had silently hoped for, but now that it was happening he didn't know how to respond. It had been eighteen years since anyone had touched him. Then it had been Raine and she had initiated the contact. Even back then he had been too shy to make a move. Now, he was standing with Vincent and all he could do was blush and try to breathe like a damn fool teenager.

"You are trembling," Vincent murmured, still lost. "Do I frighten you so badly? Please…," he began, lowering his mouth to Laguna's. "Do not fear me." Closer still until they were only a breath apart. "I would never hurt you."

Before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing Laguna. The other man's lips were soft, smooth as silk, and he used his tongue to gently tease apart Laguna's lips to allow his own entry. With the heady scent of the lilies surrounding them, he slowly deepened the kiss until he had to steady himself by grasping Laguna's upper arms, questing with his tongue and exploring the moist cavern of the other. He could taste coffee, and the little moan that escaped the shorter man settled heavily between his legs. Carefully he released his grip on Laguna and separated them by a step. Vincent's breathing was a little ragged as he licked his lips, eyes closed, in an effort to savor the unique taste of the other man.

Vincent's kiss was heaven and Laguna was sure he had just died. He savored it, treasured it, but before he could even move his arms around the other man, it was gone. Opening his eyes, he saw Vincent standing before him with his eyes closed. The young man licked his lips slowly and Laguna nearly came in his pants.

When Vincent opened his eyes and saw Laguna's rather dazed expression, it finally dawned on him just what he had done and with whom and he paled. "Oh, forgive me please! My behavior was most inappropriate and unwarranted." He held up his hand in a placating gesture. "I meant no offense." He took another step back.

When Vincent paled and began to apologize for his actions, Laguna felt a stab of pain in his chest. No, this was not going to end here. He would never forgive himself if he missed this opportunity. For the first time in his life, Laguna wanted something enough to take a chance. Walking forward and grabbing the front of Vincent's shirt, he kissed him hard, pulling their bodies together. Breaking the kiss, he looked up into fiery red orbs. "I didn't tell you to stop," he whispered.

Laguna's reaction was the last one Vincent had expected, but it was far from disapproved of. Growling low in his throat, Vincent reached down to grab Laguna's buttocks, grinding their pelvises together. Laguna gasped and his arms went around Vincent's body to cling there. He leaned down to nuzzle the Estherian's ear and murmured huskily, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Y… yes," Laguna stuttered. "I… I just… I've never done this before. With a man, that is." He could feel his face go purple and he squeezed his eyes closed, hoping that his inexperience wouldn't put Vincent off.

"Then I shall treat you with the reverence you deserve, Laguna. I will not hurt you." Vincent said, stroking Laguna's cheek again. He could remember his first time and the nerves that went with it. Dim the memory may be, some memories just never went away. "Where are you staying?"

"I've got a room a couple of blocks away," Laguna answered, trying to get his neurons to fire so he could remember the name of the place. "I think it's called Seventh Heaven?"

Feathering a thumb under Laguna's eye and along a high cheekbone, Vincent grinned. "I know it well… though for other reasons than those we are about to partake." He let Laguna lead slightly as they made their way out of the park, making minor course corrections by a light touch to an elbow or caress to a hip, all the while keeping an eye out for threats while being hypersensitive to the man's alluring proximity. He couldn't stop thinking about those amazing eyes and how he wanted them roaming over his naked body. As they neared their destination, he touched Laguna's lower back, and gestured with his chin to step into a store with him. "Wait here," he murmured just inside the door, and quickly made a small, but quite necessary purchase.

Following that, it was just a matter of a half-block more until they reached their destination. Entering and heading for the stairwell, Tifa looked up at them briefly, smiled a hello, and returned to drying glasses. They made it to Laguna's room, and it took the smaller man a moment to fumble his key into the lock before Vincent leaned down and laid his hand across the shaking one. "Easy," he breathed into Laguna's ear.

The whole walk back to his room was a blur. Laguna had never just met someone and taken them home before. It was such a foreign feeling that killed his lust and brought reality back full force. Was he really going to do this?

Firstly he had no idea how two men had sex. Well, he could imagine but inside his mind it seemed a painful process. Then again, if it was all pain he doubted it would be so common an occurrence. After all, his assistant, Kiros, was gay but he always seemed to enjoy his time with his partner. Pulling out his key, he fumbled with it nervously. Should he just back out now? Run while he still could?

Vincent's hand came over his in a soothing gesture which had the opposite effect. The young man breathed a calming word into his ear that went straight to his groin. Finally he got the key into the lock and swung the door open, walking inside only to stop and stare at the bed.

Fuck. He really was going to do this.

Laguna was wound tighter than a bedspring. Vincent could see it in the set of his shoulders and the stiffness in his spine as he stared at the bed. He had to be very careful. Walking up behind him but not so close as to invade his space, he rumbled, "Laguna, turn around… look at me."

Taking a deep breath, Laguna turned to look up into ruby eyes. Gods… he was just so damn beautiful. Searching the eyes before him, he found nothing but concern and need and it soothed some of his panic. Chewing his bottom lip unconsciously, he waited to hear what Vincent would say next.

Gently but with confidence, Vincent reached down to grasp Laguna's hand and brought it up to his mouth where he nibbled the inside of the man's wrist before slowly sucking on the first two fingers, never once breaking eye contact.

All Laguna could do was stare with his mouth slightly open. The feeling of the young man's mouth, sucking on his fingers, was amazing. It made him think of what that mouth could do on other parts of his body and his breath hitched.

Without releasing Laguna's hand from his grip, Vincent leaned forward, and with exquisite tenderness, captured the man's lips once again. As he pulled back, he used his free hand to unfasten his shirt and part the fabric so that he could lay Laguna's palm against the bared, scarred flesh. "Touch me, Laguna, explore this body that wants you so badly."

When Vincent pulled back and opened his shirt, putting Laguna's palm over his heart, Laguna couldn't pull his eyes away from the pale skin, crisscrossed with scars. Who could ever harm such a beautiful man in such a way? The younger man's words broke him out of his thoughts and lead him forward, giving him the courage to move his other hand up to join the first. Laguna's hands where shaking but he didn't pause, moving them gently to explore the skin revealed to him. As the fingertips of one hand brushed over a nipple, Vincent's breath caught slightly. Encouraged by the reaction and forgetting his trepidation, he leaned forward to lick the nub, tasting it hesitantly.

Feeling the warm, wet flick of a tongue over his nipple, Vincent hissed and had to force his arms to remain by his sides when what he really wanted to do was fist them in Laguna's hair. He moaned softly as Laguna's lips and tongue found his other nipple and moved lower, following a particularly telling scar. Finally he could keep his hands still no longer, and one hand came up to thread fingers through soft, sable hair. "Remove my clothes, Laguna. It would give me pleasure to have your eyes on my body. I only ask that you leave my glove on."

He couldn't look away from those wondrous green eyes, but he did notice Laguna's tongue come out to run over his full bottom lip. It took every bit of his control not to pin Laguna down to the bed and fuck him until those green eyes rolled up in his head and the only sound the man could manage was a whimper. He voice shook when he whispered, "Please."

That one word, uttered with so much need had never meant so much. Laguna knelt down, fumbling hands carefully undoing Vincent's pants and sliding them down. He paused when he realized the young man did not wear anything under his leathers. Right in front of his face was Vincent's cock, only a tongue's reach away and it was huge. Laguna swallowed nervously and bit his lip again, caught between the urge to take it in his mouth and the urge to panic at its size. He glanced back up to Vincent's face, indecision stopping him as he searched the young man's eyes for direction.

Smiling gently, Vincent ran his fingers over Laguna's face and held out his hand. "Give me your hand, Laguna." When the Estheran's hand came up, he first laced their fingers before he wrapped the warm digits around his erection, covering the man's hand with his own. He groaned, low in his throat as his hips jerked up into the contact. "See what you do to me?" He stroked their hands along the shaft, and he could feel his cheeks begin to heat as his lust began to build. Finally he released his hand so that Laguna alone griped him. Vincent's breathing was deep and hoarse, his chest heaving as he licked his lips and stared into the wide green eyes of his uncertain lover. "Do what you want."

Laguna looked at his hand on Vincent's cock and shivered. He knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to make the young man before him groan again and maybe even call out his name. Laguna could tell Vincent was holding back for him and he couldn't help but grin at the thought of breaking that self control.

Moving his hand down Vincent's shaft to rest around the base, he lapped at the tip tentatively. Tasting, testing and liking what he found. It held a salty tang and was unbelievably soft against his tongue. Growing bolder at the encouraging sounds that Vincent was trying to restrain, he slipped his mouth over the head and began to suck, slowly going down and taking as much as he could before moving back up and releasing it from his mouth completely. His hand took over then, slowly stroking up and down as he looked back up to see if what he'd done had met the young man's approval.

Oh, Shiva, Vincent's brain stuttered as he watched his cock slowly disappear down Laguna's throat. His mouth open, he could only gasp at the positive tease that his man was turning out to be. He had fisted his hands and gritted his teeth at the sensation of Laguna's tongue, just flicking over the head of his dick, making his hips jerk again, and now the man just crouched there, on his knees and looking up at him from out of wide green eyes, waiting. "You torment me, Laguna," he choked out. "Do you wish to taste my seed? Or shall I return the favor you have just given me?" His eyebrow arched, and he barely managed a lopsided grin as his whole body tingled and burned for more contact.

Laguna grinned back cheekily. He was enjoying this more than he'd ever imagined. Deciding to reply with actions rather than words, he slipped his tongue out and starting just above his hand, which was wrapped around the base, licked Vincent's length. When he reached the tip he flicked his tongue over the slit a few times before taking it back in his mouth. He took in just the head, sucking on it while he continued to flick the tip, enjoying the sounds that it produced from above.

After a few minutes, he decided that Vincent had suffered enough and let his lips slide lower, keeping up the suction and loving the way the young man's hips jerked in response. Being on his knees and bringing pleasure to the dark haired vixen was a turn on in itself and he moaned around the pulsing heat in his mouth as he sped up, bobbing up and down while looking up into twin red pools of fire.

With a deep groan, Vincent broke his gaze with Laguna, his eyes rolling up in his head which tipped back on a neck that suddenly seemed too weak to hold it up anymore. Unable to keep his hands by his sides any longer, his ungloved fingers found their way into Laguna's thick hair to unbind the tie that held it captured, and free the sable locks to fall around the man's face. Blindly he fisted his hand in that silky mass, but not so hard as to hurt. "Laguna…," he choked out, breaths coming quicker as he neared the point of no return. "Gods!" It was all he could do to keep his hips still and not begin to thrust and choke the man working between his legs.

Lifting his head back up, he looked down and was mesmerized by the sight of Laguna's beautiful face taking in his cock. It was a sight that caused the muscles in this belly and thighs to clench as his balls drew up tight against his body. "Lagun… oh, shit! I'm going to… come!" he panted, clenching his jaw in an attempt to hold back, not wanting to defile the gentle man on his knees in s such a way.

Vincent was coming undone and Laguna loved it. When the young man called his name and warned him that he was approaching climax, he did not stop. He wanted to push him over the edge, wanted to taste his seed and drink it down. Vincent was resisting and looking down at him with wide eyes which only pushed him onwards. Reaching up a hand to fondle and tease heavy sacks, he sped up his movements, sucking as hard as he could. Suddenly the hands in his hair gripped tight and his mouth was filled with Vincent's warm essence. He swallowed it down, only choking a little before releasing the spent organ and smiling upwards, licking his lips.

That smile was what did it really. The rest was only just physical pleasure. With trembling legs, Vincent fell to his knees in front of Laguna and crushed their lips together. He thrust deeply with his tongue, seeking to taste his semen mixed with Laguna's own unique flavor. With a small sigh the other man gave in to his ravishing mouth, yielding to the possessive advance, and Vincent felt the other's hands grip his elbows as he cradled that sweet face in his hands. Pulling back only enough to move his lips without touching Laguna's, he said hoarsely, "Are you sure you haven't done this before?" But was right back to kissing him before the other man had a chance to respond.

These kisses were slower, lazier as he began to explore the soft-featured face with his lips. Cheekbones, eyelids and temples, he gradually worked his way around to an ear to suck on the soft lobe before dropping down to Laguna's jaw. He pulled away from the older man and growled, "I want my cock inside of you." Nipping the defined jaw again, he continued, "I want to come, inside of you."


	2. Chapter 2

Laguna surrendered to Vincent's kisses willingly, mind foggy with desire as the young man devoured him. He'd never felt so wanted as he did now, kisses moving to cover his face as if he was something important, something special. Then he heard words that both thrilled and terrified him.

_"I want my cock inside of you… I want to come, inside of you."_

His mind spun as he sucked in air, trying to calm himself. The thought of something that big ever thrusting into him… gods… as scared as he was, he wanted it. Wanted so much to feel Vincent inside, filling him and making him writhe. He stared at the gorgeous face before him. "Y… Yes," was all he could stutter out as he began to tremble with a mixture of need and fear.

The fear in Laguna's eyes both broke Vincent's heart and fed his lust like nothing else. Slowly he rose to his feet, drawing Laguna up as well. He bent over and removed his boots and stepping quickly from his leathers, he shrugged out of his shirt until he stood nude before the Estherian. He remained still and relaxed as the other man's eyes took in his body, and he shivered as goosebumps rose on his flesh in response to those miraculous green eyes lingering heatedly in certain places. Laguna was afraid, yes, but there was also a hunger there that Vincent recognized, as it matched his own. "Undress yourself," he breathed. "Reveal your body to me."

Standing and watching Vincent undress, Laguna tried to calm himself. When the young man was bare before him, he let his eyes roam the pale, beautiful body before him. Gods, he was perfect.

When Vincent asked him to undress he blushed while his fingers fumbled over the buttons of his shirt. Letting it drop to the floor he hesitated for a moment, chewing his bottom lip with his head down. Fucking gods, he was the older man in the room and here he was acting like a child. Taking in a deep breath, he undid his pants, pushing them and his boxers down to the floor before stepping out of them.

Laguna had the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around himself then, feeling so exposed under that penetrating gaze. Instead he just stood there with his head down and tried to level his breathing.

All Vincent could do was stare, as perfect skin on an exquisitely proportioned body was revealed to him. No scars marred that flesh as did they his own and suddenly Vincent became embarrassed. _I am so ugly compared to this_ , he thought with shame, _my own twisted figure has no place next to him, let alone touching him_. "You are so beautiful," he whispered in awe as he gazed upon Laguna's naked body… a body the man appeared to be trying to hide without being obvious about it.

Hesitantly, Vincent reached out and touched the skin over Laguna's heart and when the man looked up at him, startled he said, "Don't hide… please, you…" He broke off as he pulled back and let his eyes wander down the pale body, lingering on the dusky rose of peaked nipples, a lightly muscled chest – _sleek_ , he thought – down lower to the faint yet defined muscles of the man's abdomen and further still until his vermilion gaze lit upon Laguna's cock, the flushed organ standing thick and erect with a faint glistening of precum adorning the flared head. Vincent licked his lips, wanting suddenly to wrap his lips around it. "Laguna…," he said, his voice rumbling from deep within his chest and richly colored with lust.

Laguna heard Vincent call him beautiful and his eyes widened in surprise. When a hand gently touched his chest, he looked up to see the young man's eyes slowly drink him in. He swallowed nervously, seeing the hunger on the taller man's face.

Looking back up, Vincent closed the distance between them until they were standing nearly chest to chest, not close enough to be touching but close enough so that he could feel Laguna's flushed body radiating heat. He shivered as his nipples tightened. Breathing shakily, Vincent smoothed his hands over Laguna's chest, rubbing his thumbs over the other man's nipples, causing them both to shudder and Laguna to lean in towards him. "You feel it too," he murmured hoarsely and was rewarded with a little whimper issuing forth from the other. Unable to take even that little distance between them, Vincent placed his hands on Laguna's waist and brought their hips together, groaning into Laguna's neck as he felt their erections finally make delicious contact.

He undulated his pelvis, rubbing their cocks together between their pressed bodies and moaned into a delicate ear, "Gods, Laguna, I want you so badly…" He reached around to grasp naked buttocks and squeezed them, parted them so that the cooler air could drift across Laguna's tight ring of muscle. "Want inside of you. Please let me," he pleaded, suckling the pale flesh of the Estherian's neck. He was nearing a level of desperation that he had not felt in decades, if ever.

Laguna moaned as their cocks rubbed together, Vincent so close that he could smell the young man's scent. He was surprised that the dark haired vixen was already hard again but not disappointed because he honestly couldn't take much more of this. Just the touch of that burning, throbbing member against his nearly made him come.

"Please Vin… cent," he whimpered as the young man suckled his neck. "Show me… show me what to do."

Vincent growled from deep within his chest. _Oh, I'll show you all right, and so much more_ , he thought. Placing a hand on Laguna's chest to indicate he wait a moment, Vincent turned and retrieved a small tube from his discarded pants pocket. "We're going to need this," he said seductively with a grin, and tossed it onto the bed before walking up to Laguna and gently pushing the man backwards. When Laguna bumped against the edge of the bed, Vincent caught and steadied him before gently lowering him backwards, kissing him as they came to rest upon the mattress. Vincent crawled up the bed over Laguna as the smaller man scooted up towards the pillows. Once there, Vincent slid his thigh in between Laguna's legs, parting them as he deepened the kiss.

The Estherian's arms came up and clutched at his back as he arched up into Vincent's contact. Vincent in turn began thrusting slowly against Laguna's thigh, moving his kisses down the other man's jaw to his neck. The other man's hands came up to fist in his hair and Vincent growled, low in his throat. After he had called a red mark up on the pale neck under him, he began kissing and licking downward until he came to one hardened nipple. Flicking it with his tongue, he pulled away to blow a thin stream of cool air over it before returning to lave it roughly while his fingers pinched and rubbed on the other.

Never had it been like this with Raine. She never touched him like Vincent did or made his body burn for more. What little coherence Laguna had left fled when Vincent had begun caressing his nipples with his tongue and fingers. The bolts of pleasure that coursed through Laguna's body made him squeeze his eyes closed, squirming and making noises which would embarrass him if his brain was still functioning.

Laguna was writhing under him, giving little keening cries that only made him harder, fiercer, and yet infinitely more gentle. He switched nipples and repeated his actions before moving lower, tongue moving in lazy swirls, dipping into Laguna's navel while his right, un-gloved hand rubbed up and down Laguna's side and belly. When he came even with the turgid cock he paused, looking up at Laguna who had his head pushed back into the mattress, sable hair a dark wave against the sheets and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His voice was low and husky when he said, "Laguna, look at me. I want you watching me when I take your cock into my mouth."

Vincent was asking him something and Laguna tried to focus on the words. Gods… he wanted him to open his eyes. Knowing that he was helpless to deny anything the dark haired vixen wanted, he slowly opened them to suck in a breath at the sight before him, trembling as he remembered exactly what else Vincent had said.

"If… if you do that, I think I'm gonna come," he mumbled back, embarrassed by his own lack of restraint.

"Go ahead and come," Vincent purred. "I'll just get you hard again." With a slow grin, Vincent stood Laguna's cock upright then proceeded to slowly lick up the thick shaft to rub the tip of his tongue at the sensitive spot at the underside of the flared head. Laguna whimpered and he was merciless as he dropped his head down over the other's throbbing organ, causing Laguna to twitch and jerk his hips with a gasp. Bringing his head back up, Vincent flicked the slit at the tip with his tongue before beginning a rough up and down rhythm with head and hand, pausing only long enough to gently pull down on Laguna's scrotum when the Estharian began to tense up in pending orgasm.

Laguna groaned as Vincent waited patiently for the other man's body to relax enough for him to continue his grueling attention to the freely weeping cock in front of him. While Laguna was absorbed in the activities performed by his mouth, Vincent managed to get two fingers generously lubed, and when Laguna was coming down from his third teasing flirt with orgasm, he slid one long, elegant finger into Laguna's body. This earned him a gasp and a startled look, which he only replied to with a grin and another generous lick with his tongue before saying, "Spread your legs wide for me, Laguna."

When Laguna did as he was told, Vincent carefully inserted a second finger, slowly rotating them and curling until he found… a spastic jerk and a cry told him that he'd found that spot within Laguna's body. With Laguna reduced to tiny twitches and soft moans he asked, "Did that feel good? Shall I do it again?"

"G… gods," was all Laguna could mutter in response. Vincent was breaking him with every touch and he was helpless to prevent it. He wanted to beg, to plead for release. The words were on his tongue but he had no breath with which to expel them.

He stared down at Vincent, his eyes unable to look away from his tormentor's visage. Vincent thrust his fingers into him once more, hitting that spot that made everything turn to lightning bolts of pleasure. It was the most intense sensation, but it somehow wasn't enough. Fighting for air, he finally managed to speak. "Please… please I want to feel you inside," he whispered, his voice desperate.

"And so you shall," Vincent replied huskily as he reared up onto his knees. He waited until that deep emerald stare was on his cock before he liberally applied lubricant. "Laguna," he murmured softly and when Laguna met his eyes he said, "I won't lie… this will hurt at first and if you wish me to stop you have but to say no and I shall." Laguna's eyes were wide and nervous, but hunger burned there as well. At the smaller man's shaky but determined nod he said, "Very well. This will be easiest if you get onto your hands and knees."

After Laguna situated himself, Vincent nudged the other's knees further apart before positioning himself and leaning forward over Laguna's shoulder. "I will go slow…," he breathed as he stroked Laguna's side tenderly. "It will be difficult, but try to relax. If you push out, it will make it easier for both of us." Laguna swallowed and nodded, fisting his hands in the bedspread as Vincent slowly pushed forward. He stopped when the head of his cock was inside Laguna, when he heard the Estharian issue a quiet, strangled cry and his hands tightened in the bedspread.

He winced and wished he could make it easier, but the first time was usually rough. "Push out, Laguna," he gasped and groaned when he felt an ease in the pressure around his dick. "That's it… a little more…"

Finally he was fully seated within the intimate embrace of Laguna's body. They were both panting from the effort of it. He from trying to go slow and be as gentle as he could, and Laguna from trying to relax and not seize up. He held perfectly still as he stroked Laguna's back and flanks and said hoarsely, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Laguna gasped. Vincent felt so huge inside of him as he willed his body to relax. It had hurt, a burning sensation of stretching that was fading now. The feeling of being so completely filled was so foreign to him that his muscles wanted to contract, despite his mind trying to make them do the opposite. As they remained still on the bed, Laguna couldn't help thinking of how they must look, joined together with Vincent buried to the hilt inside of him. His cock twitched in response and he failed to hold back a whimper.

"I'm okay," he whispered. Vincent was being so understanding and he didn't want to make him wait anymore. "Please, Vincent… move. I want…" His voice faded as his shyness resurfaced briefly.

"I will take care of you," Vincent whispered and kissed Laguna's shoulder blade before he slowly began to thrust his hips, causing Laguna to rock forward and pulling a moan from his own throat. "Gods you're so tight," he grunted and angled his hips to the degree that would brush his cock against Laguna's prostate. The smaller man gasped and cried out, shuddering under his body and Vincent sped up, gripping Laguna's hips hard to steady them both. Their breathing was irregular, one counterpoint to the other, while Laguna's soft, breathy cries echoed his own deeper ones. He was surprised when Laguna began pushing back into his thrusts, driving him deeper and he groaned again, low and rough.

He was too close to the edge, the tingling pleasure having moved into a wild burn that shot up his spine and tightened his balls. Before he was incapacitated by orgasm, he reached around and grabbed Laguna's straining erection, jerking with practiced strokes until he felt the man's body tense and shudder under and around him as Laguna released. He kept up the friction on Laguna's cock until the Estharian was reduced to small moans, his sable-haired head hanging limply between his shoulders and then he finally allowed himself to come in three quick, erratic jerks that shook them both.

When they were spent, he eased out of Laguna's body and sank down to the bed, pulling Laguna with him and drawing the slightly smaller body up against his, spooning them together. He slid his arm around Laguna's chest to rest his hand over the wildly beating heart and rumbled, "Well?"

Laguna chuckled softly. How could he possibly put that into words? It was amazing, intense and the best orgasm he'd ever had but to say that out loud would make him sound like some far too innocent and inexperienced idiot. Then again, Vincent already new that he was inexperienced, so it was pretty pointless to try and act differently now. "Amazing," Laguna murmured, deciding to meet himself half way. He definitely would like to do that again he mused, reliving the feeling of being taken over in his mind.

"Mmmm," Vincent murmured, nuzzling behind Laguna's ear and delighting when he felt the other shiver. "You are too generous, but I'll take the compliment."

Reality came creeping back to Laguna when he realized that this may never happen again. After all, it wasn't like they'd discussed this being anything more than just a one night stand. His body tensed then, the thought of walking away more distressing than it should be after only one night but he couldn't help it. Laguna Loire was not a man that did this kind of thing and never looked back. Biting his lip, he shoved his emotions down and silenced them. Vincent had given him everything he had asked for and other people did this kind of thing all the time, didn't they? It just wasn't right for him to demand more.

Vincent was grinning, nibbling a particularly appealing bit of sensitive flesh when the slight tension he felt in Laguna's body distracted him. "Laguna," he said softly, moving away slightly to roll Laguna onto his back so that he could see the Estharian's flushed face. He traced the backs of his fingers down one pale cheek. "What is it? You look sad and it's not the sadness that I saw earlier today. Surely I didn't I put that there, did I?" He frowned slightly when Laguna blushed and looked away. "I did."

He shook his head and kissed Laguna's forehead before rolling Laguna into his chest to hold him close, resting his cheek on top of the smaller man's head. "Oh, Laguna, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in this position. I've compromised everything." He sighed and then tilted Laguna's head up to stare into those ivy-colored eyes. "But I don't regret it, not one minute of it. You gave me something precious, Laguna and I shall never forget that." He then rolled onto his back, dragging Laguna with him so that the smaller man's head rested on his chest as he idly stroked his fingers through Laguna's soft hair. "I'm sorry," he breathed, shutting his eyes to hide his sudden pain.

"Don't be sorry. I'm just a romantic fool. Not your fault," Laguna answered, breathing in and memorizing the feel of Vincent against him. He would never forget a moment of this despite the ache in his chest.

Vincent winced. Yes it was. He had all but seduced Laguna, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that, coward that he was. "You are no fool," he whispered. "Gods, this world needs more people like you." He tightened his arms around Laguna and choked, "Where were you thirty-five years ago, when I needed you."

"Thirty-five years ago? What are you talking about? You weren't even born then." Frowning, he pulled back to look at Vincent, confusion wiping away his other thoughts.

It was Vincent's turn to blush, which he did, embarrassment making his face heat even more. He just knew it was as red as his eyes. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes, well… that is part of my long and very unpleasant past." He took one of Laguna's hands and traced those slender fingers over the angry scar just below his sternum. "This, is where the man who married the only woman I ever loved, shot me. I…" He hesitated. "That was how I died. I was twenty-seven years old."

Laguna stared at the scar beneath his hand, trying to digest Vincent's words. He was dead? What, was this some kind of sick dream he was having? He pinched himself on the arm and flinched. Okay, so he wasn't asleep but where did that leave him?

Vincent had said that he died when he was twenty seven years old but here he was, warm and very alive-looking underneath him. Looking up into ruby eyes he saw a deep sadness, but not any amusement so this wasn't a joke either. That only left him with one option left. Vincent truly believed what he had just told him. So, either the young man was crazy or he had just had the best sex of his life with a zombie. Fuck, he didn't like either of those options.

Frowning and running a hand through his hair, he ran Vincent's words back through his head again. Well, he really found it hard to believe that Reeve would send a crazy man out to meet him, so maybe it was true. He found that the thought of the young man being some kind of living dead didn't disturb him as much as it should. Gods, he really had spent too much of his life around sorceresses and time compression if he was so willing to believe this on face value.

"Vincent, how can you be dead? You feel so alive," Laguna murmured, running his hands over the bare chest before him. "Explain it to me."

Vincent took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Laguna was taking this very well considering he just had sex with a reanimated corpse. "I am alive, in a sense." He laced his fingers with Laguna's, needing the contact and taking heart in the fact that the other man didn't pull away. "Laguna, what I am about to tell you may change your opinion of me, but I want you to know that the man you shared your body with… I…" He floundered, desperate to tell Laguna the truth but realizing he was fated to tell a lie. "Laguna, I am still the same person you met and what I told you before holds true. I would never hurt you. Please, you have to believe me."

He shut his eyes and turned his face away. He didn't want see Laguna's revulsion, and when he spoke his voice was mechanical. "I used to work for the ShinRa Corporation. I'm sure you have heard of them. In the Department for Administrative Research or Turks as we were most commonly called. My father, too, worked for ShinRa, in the Science Department, working as a mentor for a young woman named Lucrecia Crescent who was researching Chaos and Omega. I was… I was assigned to protect her following my father's death in a laboratory accident. I grew to care very deeply for her and at one point, I had thought that she might return my affections. You can imagine my… disappointment when she turned instead to a colleague after I found out the circumstances of my father's death."

"Even then I never blamed her. It was an accident. But they were married and I remained as her protection. I then learned that she was to use her unborn child in an experiment and I couldn't… I couldn't bear for that to happen. It was… it was wrong. I tried to convince her, but she wouldn't listen to me. When it seemed that she might actually be beginning to listen to me, her husband, a sick and deranged man named Hojo, took it upon himself to see that I stayed out of their business… permanently. On evening I went to the lab, looking for Lucrecia and found Hojo instead. He drew a gun and shot me. When I came to, I was strapped to a table and that was when the experiments began."

"I won't go into them, Laguna, you don't need to know the details, only that I was violated in every way possible. He had grafted three demons into my very DNA, and had created an indestructible body fated to never age, but I didn't survive the experiments. It was simply too much." He shuddered as he remembered those horrible days and nights, tightening his grip on Laguna's hand. "I told you the gunshot wound had killed me. It didn't but I say that, because it put me in his hands, so in effect, it did. My dead body was moved into a Mako Tube, preserving it and what life might remain within it and Lucrecia realized that she could save my life, but to do so she would have to inject this new body with the Chaos gene."

"Her guilt overrode her good sense, I suppose, because she did. She saved my life, but she also trapped Chaos within my body and the only reason Chaos didn't consume me was because of Hojo's experiments. It was after I had been infused with Chaos that I had learned that the very creature calling my body home had been the one to kill my father." His gloved hand came up to cover his eyes as he finished his story. "In the end, Lucrecia lost her child to Hojo who in turn then created the monster named Sephiroth, who was just another poor, twisted victim of his madness."

"That loss finally broke her mind and she locked herself away in a Mako Crystal and I retreated to a coffin in the basement of the ShinRa mansion in Neibelheim where I slept for thirty years until Cloud and the others woke me. And the rest you know." He lowered his hand and turned his head to look mournfully at Laguna. "A lot of horrible things happened because of me. A lot of innocent lives were lost because I wasn't strong enough to do what had to be done. I have finally accepted that and I have forgiven Lucrecia. Chaos has returned to the planet, leaving behind what you see now. A ruined shell of a man, a man barely more than a monster who is a host to demons." His gloved hand shook as he reached over to touch Laguna's cheek. "Can you ever forgive me for what I have done to you?"

Laguna leaned into Vincent's hand and smiled back at him. After all that Vincent had suffered through, here he was blaming himself and apologizing. Well, he may think he's a monster but Laguna saw otherwise.

"Gods, Vincent. You are no monster. You just fell in love with the wrong woman and I think you've already paid a heavy enough price for that. The only monster in your story is that Hojo character. I do hope you killed the bastard." Anger flared in his eyes at the thought of a man that could do this to another human being, as he thought about how much the beauty before him had endured. "Does it hurt? The demons inside, I mean. Do they cause you pain?"

Vincent smiled sadly. "I am used to the pain. It is still difficult when they come forward and I transform, but it no longer incapacitates me afterward like it used to. The rest of the time, it just feels like I am being watched and sometimes there is a buzzing in my head, but I have learned to ignore them for the most part. Chaos was the worst, having a sentience of its own, it would often 'speak' to me. I am grateful it's gone." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I think the worst thing for me are the nightmares. I do not really sleep anymore… I am afraid to because they always come… and they're so terrifying…," he trailed off as his eyes glazed over a bit in thought before he shook himself and looked over at Laguna once more.

"To the best of my knowledge, Hojo is dead… and I think, to a point I have forgiven him for what he has done to me, but then I think of all of those lives he has destroyed with his little experiments and to know that I was one of the first… and I did nothing." He looked pleadingly at Laguna. "I just shut myself away in that coffin, consumed by my guilt and did nothing! I am no better than he." He shook his head and smiled wryly. "I do not know why I am burdening you with this, as it is none of your concern. But to no other have I spoken to regarding what was done to me. What is it about you Laguna that makes me forget my fear…," he said thoughtfully.

"Shit, Vincent please stop blaming yourself. You are nothing like that… Hojo, and it is he who is responsible for the lives destroyed, not you," Laguna muttered, still angry that the beautiful man before him had been made to endure so much. "As for this being a burden on me, I can assure you, it isn't. You are the one burdening yourself with it, which you shouldn't do. Being that mad man's first victim doesn't make you responsible for anything that followed."

Seeing the deep hurt on Vincent's face, Laguna felt a stab of regret for making Vincent feel more guilt, this time for the moment of pleasure they had shared. "Promise me you'll not carry any guilt over today with you. It was… well a beautiful experience, and all because I want more, that is not your fault. I'm just a… what was it Kiros called me? Oh yes, a romantic, old fashioned, old fool." He ran a hand through his hair nervously before continuing. "Besides wasn't like I didn't enjoy it. Anyway, we could always do this again, um…that's if you wanted to… or not… either is fine…"

Startled by that rather abrupt blurt, Vincent could only blink. Finally he managed to untangle his brain enough to get a message to his mouth, "You… you wish to do this again?" Without quite realizing it, he continued, "You do not find me…ugly?" He blinked again, and in some distant part of his brain, he wondered if he had finally lost his marbles.

"What?" Laguna stared at the man before him with his eyes wide. "Gods Vincent, you're beautiful. Of course I want to do this again." Seeing only disbelief shinning back at him, Laguna cupped the perfect face before him and softly kissed Vincent's trembling lips. He decided to be completely honest, knowing that the man before him needed to hear exactly how he felt. "I never dreamed someone as good looking as you are, would ever even look twice at me, and to tell you the truth…well…it's a little hard to keep my hands off you," Laguna whispered as his face burned.

Vincent cupped Laguna's blazing faze gently in his hands and feathered his thumb under one brilliant eye. "There is so much more to a man, or a woman, than mere physical beauty, Laguna, and it is to that other beauty that I had directed my inquiry." He pushed his fingers through Laguna's soft, soft hair. "You have both. How could I not be attracted to you? The darkness in me yearns for the light." Then a slow grin tugged at his lips as he rolled over on top of Laguna to look down at the Estharian. "You can touch me all you like."

He leaned down, capturing Laguna's lips in a heated kiss and when he raised back up, his fingers once again traced Laguna's face, small grin still in place. "Who would have thought that I would find a glimpse of redemption in an older man who is, in fact, my junior?"

Laguna smiled up at Vincent, relieved to see the pain gone for now. In its place was a grin that sent shivers up his spine. Vincent's permission to touch him and his passionate kiss had renewed Laguna's desire instantly and he tried to control it. As much as his mind would like to have Vincent take him again, his body was beginning to ache in all the wrong places. "You know, now you're just confusing me," he chuckled. "I may be older in looks but you're technically robbing the cradle by being with me."

Vincent laughed, dropping his head down to Laguna's shoulder before raising it again to look back into the man's gentle face. "You may be right, Loire." He leaned forward to nuzzle Laguna's ear, idly wondering where his fascination with that particular piece of anatomy had come from, before growling softly, "I guess that just makes me a dirty old man then, doesn't it."

When he rubbed against Laguna's thigh, feeling the smaller man's answering erection, Laguna winced and he suddenly felt ashamed. He sighed again and eased off of Laguna. "Forgive me my persistent advances, Laguna. It would seem that I, too, cannot seem to keep my hands and… other, parts of my body off of you." He turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand and contented himself with trailing his fingers over Laguna's chest. "It will ache until your body grows accustomed to this type of activity." He grinned, "I guess we shall just have to have sex more often, then."

"Really?" Laguna blurted out, staring wide eyed at Vincent.

Vincent's grin softened as he gazed at his new lover. "You didn't think I would let this stay at a one-night stand did you? Laguna, I do not work like that. A person's feelings are not to be toyed with. Only a coward would use another like that. I would not have pursued this if were otherwise and you deserve better than that." He touched Laguna's face. "Unless, of course, you do not wish to see me anymore. It would be difficult, but I would respect that."

"Of course I want to see you again," Laguna replied quickly, smiling brightly as relief flooded through him. "But I have to ask you, will this cause problems for you with Reeve?"

Stretching and bringing his hands up behind his head as he rolled onto his back, he flashed another smile at Laguna. "I do not work for Reeve, remember? And he owes me now. We could just call it 'part of the negotiations'." He winked slowly at Laguna before frowning and cursing, "Dammit!" He looked back over at Laguna. "I can't go back with you. I signed on with some hunts, some contract jobs and I cannot back out." He reached for Laguna and cupped his cheek. "But I'll come for you as soon as I can. Is that acceptable?"

"I'd like it if you did. Then I could show you around Esthar," Laguna answered, trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that was telling him it would never happen. He may be a hopeless romantic but when he looked at Vincent, all he could see was affection. There was no reason to not believe his words.

"Good," Vincent murmured, holding up his arm. "Perhaps you might lie with me a while?" As Laguna settled in against him once more, he buried his nose in the sable mane, and let his mind wander as the other man's breathing settled into the easy rhythm of sleep. And so Laguna slept and Vincent held him until he woke.


	3. Chapter 3

Laguna sat behind his desk staring at the piles of paperwork. Two weeks had passed and still no word from Vincent. He found the more he tried not to think about it, the more he couldn't get it out of his mind. That little voice in the back of his head was getting louder, telling him that the young man wasn't coming and had probably found someone else better to spend his time with. After all, he was just an aging old politician and why would a beautiful, young, strong fighter travel half way across the world just to see him?

Sighing, Laguna grabbed the first paper in the pile and tried to concentrate on what it said. He got about half way through before his mind slipped back to Vincent and that one day they had spent together. Gods, what he would give to have the chance to make it more than just a memory.

**.**

Vincent was agitated. It had been two weeks since probably the best sex he'd ever had and now every time he closed his eyes, he saw Laguna's face, heard his soft voice and felt his kind touch. The only thing he wanted to do now was go to Laguna and love him. He wanted to get lost in the man's eyes and lips, have the Estharian's arms go around him and shut the world way. Gods, he wanted to fu…

"VINCENT!"

With a jerk, he came back to the here and now. Leveling a withering glare on Cloud, he snarled, "What…?"

"Uh… I… um, we're nearing port." Cloud stammered, taking a hesitant step back and averting his eyes from the burning red inferno scorching a hole through his head.

"Good." He growled and when the airship transport docked, he was the first one off, with everyone who had half a brain giving him a wide berth. He knew he'd been foul to deal with, but his mind had been on other things, more… pleasant things during the entirety of the hunt and the fact that the object of his pent-up lust and sexual aggression was half a world away did absolutely nothing to ease his mood. Instead of going with the others back to Seventh Heaven, he instead headed straight for Reeve's office. He had some digging to do.

**.**

Laguna was pulled from his pleasant memories by his office door being thrown open. Looking up he had to hold back a wince at the sight of his son, striding in like he owned the place. Squall may be the Commander of SeeD, but Laguna still thought the boy could do with a good spanking for acting like such a brat all the time.

"Good afternoon, Squall. Nice to see you again," he said cheerily, despite how he felt inside.

"Laguna, we need to talk," Squall said flatly, stopping in front of his desk and glaring at him. Wonderful. On top of feeling like crap it looked like he was about to get a lecture as well. Why in Hades' name did he get out of bed this morning?

"What about?" he replied, not bothering to keep up his smile. It was wasted on Squall anyway.

"What is wrong with you? Kiros has been forced to pick up your slack for the last two weeks while you've been sitting around on your ass, staring out into space. You are supposed to be running the country, not daydreaming about whatever piece of ass you left behind on your trip to Midgar," Squall spat at him. Usually Laguna just ignored his son's rants, but as soon as his son insulted Vincent, his temper flared. Biting his lip, he glared down at his desk. No, he hadn't insulted Vincent. Squall didn't even know about who he had met, only that he had met someone.

"Squall, I'm surprised to see that you even care. For one, what I do in my personal life is none of your business. Secondly, Esthar does not fall under your jurisdiction so none of this is any of your business," Laguna answered flatly, meeting his sons glare with one of his own.

"Your personal life is my business because, unfortunately, you are my father. Your inability to focus on your job reflects badly on me. Do you not realize that when you embarrass yourself, you embarrass me as well?" Squall growled back.

"Squall, considering you only see me as your father when I do something wrong, I have a hard time caring about your embarrassment. I have nothing further to say on any of this, so if you're finished making me feel worse than I already do, I would ask you to please leave." Laguna stood up and walked towards the door, standing beside it and waiting for Squall to leave. His son glared at him, before turning and stomping out of the room without another word.

"Nice to see you too, Squall," Laguna muttered as he shut and locked his door. He silently prayed that his day couldn't get any worse.

**.**

 _Where is it?_ , Vincent muttered to himself as he rifled through Reeve's desk, unmindful of the mess he was making. _Laguna's file had to be here somewh… Ah! Here it is_. He opened the thick file and scanned its contents, grateful for his eidetic memory: Map of Esthar, the presidential palace, personal info, customs, tradition, law enforcement. He paused when he came to the information detailing SeeD and its commander: Squall, Laguna's son. He ran his fingers over the photo, lingering on the scar slashing angrily across the youth's stern face. Could he really be so different from Laguna? And yet they looked so very similar.

Giving himself a mental shake, he quickly straightened up the mess then retreated back the way he had come, through the window. It was a simple matter to find his way to the airship docks and book passage with a private salvage freighter headed to Esthar. Before the airship was scheduled to leave, he stopped in a weapons shop and restocked on ammunition for Cerberus before boarding the ironically named airship, The Tempest, and beginning the arduous game of 'hurry up and wait'. As he stood by one of the enormous windows, he shut his eyes and prayed for patience… and a strong hold on his demons as he didn't think people would look kindly upon him if he ate a crewman or two just because they pissed him off.

**.**

Laguna smiled at his friend as Kiros passed him his glass. He'd agreed to go to Kiros' place for a drink or two after work despite the fact he knew Kiros would try to pry out of him anything he could about this new person who was distracting him. Out of everyone he knew, this man was the only one he felt comfortable discussing the subject with.

"So Laguna, I know we haven't had a chance to talk since you got back home, but I've been dying to ask you what happened in Midgar," Kiros said, smiling deviously back at him. Laguna chuckled at his best friend's attempt to be polite.

"So, you want to know who I met?" he answered back, drinking half his scotch in one go. He knew he'd need the courage it gave him to continue.

"Yes, I do. She must be something else to grab your attention after all this time. I have to admit I'm relieved though. It's not healthy for you to be alone for such a long time," Kiros replied, smiling warmly as he sipped his vodka.

"Well… um… he is something else alright," Laguna said softly. Kiros choked on his drink before turning to stare at him and Laguna began to laugh.

"He? Gods, you went and fell for a guy?" Kiros spluttered out.

"I blame it on your bad influence," Laguna shot back with a snort.

"Hey! It's not my fault you decided to come over to the fun side!" Laguna got his merriment at his friends shock under control and took a deep breath.

"Probably not going to see him again anyway, so…." He tried not to sound so disappointed but with Kiros it was pointless. His friend always could see right through him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into dark brown eyes.

"Hey, it's only been two weeks. Men can be a little slower than the ladies when it comes to these things so don't loose hope yet." Laguna nodded at him and hoped Kiros was right. "So, do I need to give you the talk on the _bees_ and the bees?" Kiros added with a smirk.

"Too late for that one," Laguna muttered into his drink, his face blushing hotly. Kiros looked at him with wide eyes before his grin returned.

"And? What was it like?"

"A gentleman never tells," Laguna answered, unable to stop the stupid grin that spread across his face at the thought.

**.**

 _He really was a soldier_ , Vincent thought as he looked out of the airship's windows at the passing clouds. For the entire flight, Laguna occupied his mind, as well as what he had read in that file; the circumstances involved in Laguna assuming the presidency. He shook his head. Really the man was lucky to be alive.

"E… excuse me, Mr. Valentine?" The captain called out hesitantly, and when he slid his red eyes over to pin the man in place, the poor captain could hardly get out the rest of what he had to say. "W… w… we're ab… bout t… to land, s… sir."

"Really," he said flatly. "That's good to know." When what he really wanted to say was, _It's about fucking time_. He had been standing in his own little island of space aboard the airship since they had first taken off, the entire crew terrified of him and quite frankly he was surprised that the airship hadn't listed to the side the whole way due to crew distribution. Wherever he was, they weren't.

Finally they landed on the airstrip just outside of Esthar and he was gone with a flip and swirl of his crimson mantle. The city was enormous and he found all the color intimidating, indeed he was having a difficult time finding shadows within which to travel, so he settled for rooftops. It wasn't difficult to locate the Presidential Palace and the first thing that struck Vincent was that this monstrous building didn't suit Laguna's personality at all. He imagined Laguna probably had one or two rooms in which he was most comfortable and that he didn't visit many others unless he absolutely had to.

Crouching by a large vent crowning the building he was currently calling a perch, he closed his eyes and called to mind the photos of the Palace and the general floor plan. He then opened his eyes and quickly oriented himself to the building before making his way to the tall wall just below the window to his goal, Laguna's bedroom. Grinning, he gathered his energy and in a flashing streak of crimson he flew up and into the (luckily open) window to land in a silent and wary crouch. Reaching out with his senses he could detect no other life around the cluster of rooms. He straightened and looked about the simply furnished room and smiled softly.

This was more like the Laguna he had glimpsed. He wandered around the large bedroom, trailing fingers over the massive bed and sitting on a corner, he laid back. The mattress was soft, but not too soft as to swallow him. All around him he could smell Laguna and it made him stretch and writhe sensuously in desire. Looking over he caught sight of a framed picture. Frowning, he got to his feet and approached the dresser. Gently picking the frame up, he studied the woman in it: long brown hair, merry brown eyes and a heartbreaking smile.

 _This must be Raine_ , Vincent thought, and for a moment he felt as though he was intruding and that he had no business to butt into Laguna's life. But then he remembered how the other man had made him feel and the fact that Raine had been gone for eighteen years. Normally not a selfish man, Vincent allowed himself to be just this once, in his desire for the other. Setting the photograph down with a brush over the woman's face with his thumb and a whispered, "I shall not hurt him," Vincent moved over to the deepest shadowed corner to await Laguna's return.

**.**

Another horrible day and no Vincent left Laguna feeling flat and listless. He trudged out of his office door, unable to muster up a smile for his secretary as he headed for the elevator to take him to his room. It was just the same boring routine, over and over, every day. He'd never even noticed before how sterile his life had become.

Walking in his door, he locked it and looked around his empty suite sighing. Laguna didn't feel like eating or doing anything else so he headed straight to his bedroom, taking off his clothes as he went. He stopped at the door to step out of his pants and left them on the floor as he entered the room with the intent of falling into bed immediately.

Vincent watched Laguna enter his bedroom, gloriously naked and his nostrils flared as he picked up the man's scent. His breathing deepened as his eyes fell upon Laguna buttocks and he stifled a groan. That ass was all that he could think about for the two weeks of their separation, and the moans that he would drag out of Laguna's throat when he buried himself in the other man's body. Moving lightening quick, he came up behind Laguna and wrapped his gauntleted arm around Laguna's waist while the other came up to wrap around the Estharian's neck lightly.

Vincent lowered his head to bury his nose in the hair behind Laguna's ear where he inhaled slowly. He nuzzled and growled, "Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured you…" His hand came away and slid down Laguna's chest, abdomen, over his own tightly-clasped arm to cup Laguna's crotch, "…just like this." His voice hitched on the last word.

Laguna had been jolted out of his numbing thoughts by a claw wrapping around his waist and an arm around his neck. Stiffening in surprise his eyes had flown wide and his pulse raced in fear until a familiar voice sounding in his ear made him nearly pass out in relief. Vincent had come for him. The young man's voice whispered seductively as his hand swept over Laguna's body. The President was shaking from shock, but he tried to calm it, breathing in deeply as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the long yearned for feeling of his lover's arms.

Vincent's mouth went down to Laguna's shoulder where he nipped and licked gently as he pressed his own leather-clad groin hard against Laguna's buttocks and panted, "I've hungered for you." He continued to breathe in deeply the Estharian's scent while clutching the other man to him. "Laguna, I fear you have made me crazy."

Laguna tried to speak but his voice was lost in the confusion of emotions. Vincent's words were going straight to his cock and his pulse was still racing from being ambushed, no matter how hard he tried to relax. Questions formed in his head but were swept away in mere heartbeats by a rush of desire so strong it made his legs weak. Naked and completely vulnerable, Laguna surrendered to the man behind him, holding him tightly.

"Vincent," he whimpered, pressing back into his captor's body.

Laguna's reaction couldn't have been more perfect for feeding his aggression. Vincent abruptly released his body and spun the man in his arms so that he could frame Laguna's face with his hands and kiss him, long and deep. He became aware of quick, desperate movements against his chest and realized that the older man was fumbling with the buckles of his mantle. Without breaking contact, he managed to unbuckle and wrench off his gauntlet, which he let clatter noisily to the floor as he assisted in helping Laguna remove his cloak.

As soon as it was off, he couldn't stand it anymore and he captured both of Laguna's wrists in his hands and walked forward until the older man bumped into the wall with a little squeak. He pinned Laguna's arms over his head as he bent down to ravish those trembling lips, nipping and sucking on his lover's lower lip until the smaller man moaned and sagged against his grip. It was no difficulty whatsoever for Vincent to lift Laguna off of his feet to dangle just off of the floor, and he growled into the other man's ear, "I want you…oh, fuck I want you…"

"Vin…," Laguna moaned, lifting his legs to wrap them around the man before him and pull their bodies even closer. Grinding his hips against Vincent was all he could do in this position and he whimpered as he felt his lover's still clothed erection against his own. He heard Vincent growl and managed to catch his lips in another heated kiss. Laguna completely surrendered, letting his lover dominate and control. When lips left his to trail down his jaw and onto his neck, biting and sucking hard, he began to beg.

"Gods… Vin," he stuttered out between breaths. "Please… fuck me now."

It was the hesitant plea that threatened to take his legs out from under him, but Vincent was more than willing to satisfy a hunger that had been building for days with no relief in sight. He released Laguna's arms, which immediately found their way around his neck, followed quickly by a frantic, thrusting tongue into his mouth. He managed to wriggle his hand in between their writhing bodies, and with a good bit of hurried fumbling, finally freed his straining cock, groaning in relief only to gasp as it rubbed up against Laguna's buttocks. Panting raggedly, he pressed into Laguna, bracing them both against the wall as he dug into his pocket to produce a small tube of lubricant that he had thought to pick up last minute before boarding the airship freighter back in Midgar.

"I can't wait…," he moaned in broken syllables. "I need to be inside of you, Laguna." He couldn't hurt this man, but his control was fragile at best and the scent of Laguna's arousal only drove him nearer to that breaking point. Somehow, through skill and blind luck, he worked a generous amount of lube into his right hand, which he then liberally applied to his straining cock. The remainder he managed to work into Laguna's body. When he couldn't stand it any longer he spread Laguna's buttocks wide apart and let the man's bodyweight ease him down onto his thick length and he gasped, "So tight… so tight…" Laguna's body gripped him almost painfully as he waited, with iron control, for the smaller man's body to relax around him.

Laguna squeezed his eyes shut and gasped as Vincent entered him. His initial thoughts of impatience over the other man's insistence on preparing him were washed away in a wave of pain. Thankfully, once Vincent was fully sheathed, he paused and Laguna's body began to adjust. The pain faded and he slowly opened his eyes, looking over Vincent's shoulder to catch sight of them both in the mirror on the wall. The sight made his cock twitch between their bodies in renewed interest and he began to squirm in his lovers hold.

"M… move," he panted out. "Please. Need more." The needy whine of his own voice should of embarrassed him, but at this moment he didn't care.

Vincent was only too happy to oblige. Taking a step back he angled Laguna so that the man's shoulders and upper back were resting against the wall, he began to thrust into the tight heat surrounding and gripping his erection. One of Laguna's hands shot up to brace against the wall while the other grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard as Vincent began a quick staccato rhythm that punched against the smaller man's prostate relentlessly. He was ruthless in his movements as he interspersed the short thrusts with a long shove and slow twist of his hips that wrung a loud cry from Laguna's throat.

The Estharian began to whimper with increasing frequency and volume as he was pushed closer to release and Vincent growled through his panting breaths, "Grab… your dick… Laguna… nnngghh…. That's good, now pump it… hard." He cried out when Laguna's body bore down on his cock as Laguna's hand left his shoulder to begin working his own weeping cock.

"Vin… gods… feels so…," Laguna moaned between breaths as he tried to pump his cock in time with Vincent's thrusts. He couldn't keep a steady rhythm, too distracted by the hard length driving into him over and over. He was reaching his peak regardless and as his orgasm broke, he murmured his lovers name desperately.

As Laguna's body went rigid, pushing down onto his cock, Vincent groaned and rammed Laguna back into the wall as his hips' movements became more erratic. The tingling in his spine and thighs moved up to tighten his balls and cause his thrusts to become harder, to grind Laguna against the wall. It was his name being spoken that triggered his release, making him fall forward onto Laguna's trembling body. His hips jerked as he spent his seed deep into the other man's body, reducing Laguna to moans until he finally stilled and the only sound in the room was their panting. Laguna's body had relaxed and as Vincent pulled back enough to stroke the man's sweaty hair out of his face, he grinned at Laguna's dazed expression and slightly glazed eyes.

With a tenderness he had never shown another, Vincent gathered a boneless Laguna in his arms and took them both over to the immense bed where he lay the smaller man down gently before withdrawing to begin removing his slightly soiled clothing.

Laguna watched Vincent undressing still lost in the afterglow. His lover moved gracefully, unaware of the erotic sight he made as he stripped off his clothes. Laguna relaxed and enjoyed the show, rewinding to the moment he had first felt his partner embrace him from behind. He suddenly realized he had no idea how Vincent had gotten in to his room in the first place.

"Vin…," he began, stopping when the young man threw his hair back over his shoulder with a flick of his head and grinned at him. "I… um," Laguna muttered, blushing at his inability to form a coherent sentence. Fuck, what was it about Vincent that turned him into a stuttering fool so easily? He could deal with a room full of hostile politicians without missing a beat, but one look from the dark haired vixen and he reverted back to a bumbling teenager.

As Laguna stared, Vincent raised an eyebrow at him in question. It didn't help his disorientation in the slightest, only adding to the allure of the man before him. i Okay brain, time to start working before he begins to think you're a complete fool/i, Laguna scolded himself, drawing in a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart.

"I missed you," he finally blurted out, wincing at how cliché he sounded.

Vincent's lips slid apart in a slow grin. Stepping out of his pants he walked over to the bed and looked down at Laguna a moment, just allowing himself to stare at a face that had haunted his every waking moment and free thought. Finally he eased onto the bed to cover Laguna with his taller body, framing that beloved face with his gloved and naked hand. He lowered his head to kiss Laguna long and deep, sliding his tongue into the other man's mouth in a slow possession before Laguna began to squirm out of a need for air. When he pulled back, Laguna had a mirror image of his grin on his face. "I missed you too, Laguna. All I saw when I closed my eyes was your face. I'm sorry I took so long in coming for you."

Laguna's grin widened, relieved that Vincent felt the same as he did on this point. He wanted to say more but was afraid of scaring the young man off with his romantic confessions, so for now he changed the subject.

"Can I ask you something? How exactly did you get in my bedroom?" he asked. Laguna couldn't help but wonder how Vincent had managed to get past the guards and into his bedroom. After all, if there were holes in his security he really needed to be aware of them. Being who he was, threats were an everyday occurrence and he didn't want to wake up one day and find a bunch of terrorists standing over him.

Vincent regarded Laguna, a newfound respect filling him with an unexpected pride. "That is a very valid question," he rumbled approvingly, moving off of Laguna to lie beside him and propped his head up on his hand. "The window," he said simply, a coy little grin on his lips. When Laguna frowned, looking skeptical, Vincent chuckled and took pity on the man and explained. "I'm not entirely sure where the ability comes from, but if I had to hazard a guess, it's from a residual power left over from when Lucrecia injected my body with the G Substances, in effect trapping Chaos within my body. If I concentrate, I can gather a kind of peripheral energy… the best way I can describe it would be like the energy found in an aura, and I am able to condense my form and de-solidify it."

"As a result I become lighter than air and can then use the air currents to travel. Thus I was able to 'scale' your sheer and very imposing wall and was fortunate that you left your window open, otherwise I might have still been looking when you returned to your room." He reached up and traced Laguna's bottom lip with a forefinger. "But there is something that has occurred to me. We only met, what, three weeks ago now? We've had sex twice and we know next to nothing about each other. Should you have me, I look forward to getting to know you properly."

Laguna looked up at Vincent blankly not understanding most of the gunman's response. He did however understand enough to know it was one of his special powers that got him in the window so it wasn't likely anyone would be coming in the same way. It was what Vincent said next that took his full attention, especially the 'I look forward to getting to know you' bit.

"Really? I'd love to get to know you better," Laguna answered, feeling an ache in his chest. Hope blossomed in his heart despite his attempts to try and keep his feelings back incase this went nowhere. Kiros had warned him, numerous times, that he needed to hold back on the 'L' word or he'd scare off potential partners and he really didn't want to stuff this up by moving too fast. He already knew he felt it, even if he wouldn't say it.

"How long can you stay?" Laguna asked, hoping he didn't sound as needy as he felt.

Vincent would have answered him straight away, but he was rather sidetracked with watching Laguna's lips, kiss-swollen and glistening. Licking his own he moved forward to cover Laguna once again, soundly kissing the poor, startled man. Using his knee, he urged Laguna's legs apart so that he could lie in between them. He began a slow undulation against Laguna's groin that made the other man moan and bring his arms up around Vincent's neck as they continued to kiss hungrily. Finally, Vincent pulled back, panting slightly in early arousal. "There is nothing for me back there. I have no home. I have no family. I am adrift in this life." He kissed Laguna again, their bodies pressed flush together, he whispered against Laguna's mouth, "Will you be my anchor, Laguna?"

"Yes, just don't go," Laguna murmured, before returning Vincent's kiss to try to cover up the tears that threatened to fall. He could stay like this for an eternity and the rest of the world be damned. Honestly, he didn't care whether anyone else approved because he was going to try his hardest to keep Vincent here next to him and make this beautiful man happy again.


	4. Chapter 4

Squall leant against the wall of the elevator with his arms crossed, trying to control his aggravation. He'd been sitting in the President's office for over an hour waiting for Laguna to arrive while Kiros made excuses and repeatedly called his room to no avail. Finally Squall had decided to go and get his father himself.

The man was driving him to new heights of annoyance lately. It was bad enough that his father had spent the last two weeks so distracted that he'd been unable to carry out his normal duties, but when he couldn't even get out of bed in the morning to make it to a meeting that Squall had arranged weeks before, it was unbearable. Didn't the man realize that his son was busy and coming to Esthar was a huge effort on his part?

Squall's cell phone began to ring in his pocket and he pulled it out, checking the caller ID. Fuck, it was Rinoa again. She'd already called him three times today and it was only ten o'clock in the morning. Whatever the hell she wanted, it could wait. He simply didn't have the patience right now to put up with her schoolgirl ranting.

The more time went by, the more he regretted ever falling into a relationship with the woman. Rinoa wanted more than he could give her but luckily his position as Commander of Seed gave him plenty of excuses to avoid her, most of the time. Squall turned off his phone, returning it to his pocket with a sigh. He knew he had to somehow end the relationship but he just wasn't ready to deal with all the drama that would erupt as a result. The fact her father was one of Seed's clients didn't make the whole mess any easier.

The elevator lurched to a stop and Squall strode out and down the hall towards Laguna's suite. Keying in the security code he let himself in and closed the doors, pausing to look around the living area. All of the blinds were still closed and the darkened room was a clear indication that Laguna was still in bed. The only sign of his father's presence was a trail of clothing heading for his closed bedroom door. Fuck, couldn't the man even pick up after himself anymore? He approached the bedroom door, swinging it open with a growl.

"Laguna! Wake the fuck up!" he yelled, stalking forward with the intention of dragging the man out of bed. As he approached the bed he froze in shock at the sight of his father cuddled up to a dark haired man who's red eyes glared back at him.

They had made love three more times throughout the course of the night and poor Laguna was exhausted, lying curled up against Vincent's side, arm draped over Vincent's belly. One of his hands played with a lock of Laguna's hair while the other one was up, resting behind his head. He sighed contently, his body sated and relaxed and even a little sore. He hummed softly and let his eyes drift shut only to have his lassitude broken by a rather abrupt and rude young man barging into their room…yelling. Not one to enjoy interruptions, Vincent growled softly as he glared at the young man who bore a striking resemblance to his lover; this must be Squall.

He felt Laguna startle then settle back into sleep when Squall fell silent to stare at them with his mouth agape. Grinning, Vincent slowly brought his finger to his lips to indicate that Squall stay quiet. Then he eased out from under Laguna, kissing the smaller man when he frowned and murmured unintelligibly, and got out of bed – for once completely at ease with his nudity and scars. He walked over to his discarded pants and pulled them on before motioning Squall to precede him from the room. After the bedroom door was shut he rumbled, "Do you always just barge into people's private rooms uninvited? Where I come from that is considered rather… uncouth."

"Who the fuck are you?" Squall growled, glaring at his father's companion and ignoring his question. Great, now his fool of a father was screwing around with random guys instead of doing his job. He could almost see his mother rolling over in her grave with disgust. Why couldn't the man act his age for once in his life?

"And apparently you are in the habit of not answering questions when presented with them." Vincent said wryly, rolling his eyes. He had known several Turks in his day that had had the same problem. He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Squall calmly, when in actuality he wanted to reach out and backhand the rude upstart through the wall. "Who I am is none of your business, and if my opinion were to matter – which I am sure it will not - a little more respect should be shown for others rather than assuming that everyone has been placed on this planet to cater to you."

He narrowed his eyes at Squall and tapped a forefinger against his bicep. "I should think that that would go double for the man who is your father, but perhaps this is a common practice in a land to which I am only superficially familiar, and it is only my ignorance of your customs that motivates my tongue."

"My relationship with Laguna is none of your business and I suggest you tell me who the fuck you are before I call security and have your sorry ass dragged out of here," Squall spat back at the stranger, barely controlling his urge to remove the man himself.

Vincent the man, the Turk, could control his temper; but Vincent the host to demons found the lack of respect and civility just a little too much. Without warning he grabbed Squall by the lapels of his coat and easily lifted the young man off of the floor to whirl around and slam him up against a nearby wall. Leaning in close he hissed, "I welcome you to try and remove me, Squall. You have no idea what you are dealing with. I know enough of your relationship, and from what I've seen of you so far I know that if you were _my_ son, you would embarrass the hell out of me." He pressed into Squall enough to impart to the young man a hint of the enhanced strength that he had. "I suggest…" he growled, "…that you watch your mouth."

Laguna rolled over to find his bed empty and sat up, frowning down at the sheets. The sound of Squall's voice in full commander mode made his eyes go wide. _Oh fuck, Squall is out there yelling at someone and it must be Vincent_. Scrambling off the bed, he tripped in the sheets, luckily catching hold of the bed post before he fell on his face. Untangling himself, Laguna quickly pulled on his pants. The next sound he heard was a loud thump and he bolted for the door, pulling it open and looking around to find Vincent holding his son up against the wall. Squall's eyes were wide and Vincent looked like he was on the brink of ripping the boy apart with his bare hands.

"Fuck, Vincent! Please don't!" he yelled.

At the sound of Laguna's panicked voice, Vincent jolted back to sanity and he blinked and shook his head. His hands popped open and Squall slid down the wall to thump onto his feet, looking a bit shocked and more than a little uneasy. He took a step back as Laguna approached them, breathing heavily in an effort to control his rage and quell his demons. He turned his head and looked regretfully at Laguna, "I'm sorry, Laguna… I… I fear I was pushed too far. This is part of who I am, and it is something that I constantly battle."

He backed up until he was standing behind Laguna, putting the smaller man in between himself and Squall. "Forgive me, but your son's behavior is most unacceptable. If he speaks to you like he has just spoken to me, then perhaps it might be best that I not be left alone with him."

"It's alright, Vincent," Laguna said, reaching out to entwine his fingers with his lovers'. Turning back to his son he took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Squall, was there something you wanted?" he asked.

"We had a meeting over an hour ago and I came to get you only to find you in bed with this….this man. What the fuck is going on?" Squall demanded, his surprise disappearing as his glare returned.

"This is Vincent. I met him while in Midgar and he will be staying here with me so I would ask that you don't come barging into my rooms unannounced in the future. As for the meeting, I am sorry I forgot completely. Do you want to have the meeting now or reschedule it?" Laguna replied calmly, squeezing Vincent's hand.

"What? You just met him and now you're shacking up together?" Squall muttered.

"That is none of your business. Do you want to have the meeting or not?"

"Fuck the meeting," Squall spat. "I come in here and your insane boyfriend threatens me and you don't even give a fuck. I'm going back to Garden." The Commander turned, shooting a glare at Vincent before walking for the door.

"Squall wait! Squall!" Laguna called, only to be ignored as his son slammed the door behind him. "Fuck," Laguna muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Vincent winced, fully aware of the unacceptability of his own behavior and that an apology was warranted, but he didn't think it was wise that he approach Squall now or in the near future. His hand came up rest on the back of Laguna's neck where he began to rub soothingly. He rested his forehead against Laguna's head and murmured, "I'm sorry, Laguna. I'm a very dangerous…man." He breathed the last word then said softly, "No, that is not correct…I'm no longer human, and if you feel that I am jeopardizing your position or putting others in danger, I will leave. You have but to say the word. Nor do I wish to come between you and your son, who clearly does not approve of me." He finished and rested his lips against the lightly scented and soft hair of his lover, breathing deeply.

"Don't be daft, Vincent. My son just happens to hate me. I never expected him to approve of me or anything I do," Laguna answered, his voice harsh with his frustration. "Look, you are human so please don't keep saying that you're not. None of this is your fault. It's been like this between Squall and me ever since I found out he was my son. It's my fault…past mistakes that I can't change now…," Laguna's voice trailed off as he frowned down at the floor.

At that Vincent felt inexplicably sad, and he wrapped his arms around Laguna from behind. "It's not too late," he said, "to right past wrongs and recover lost time. I read his file, or what Reeve had in regards to your son, and I know he was raised without the love of a parent. I think, I hope, that in time Squall will come to realize that the fact that you were not a part of his early life was not your fault. Please let me help, however I can," he squeezed Laguna and chuckled, "Even if it means I stay away from him for rest of his life."

Laguna grinned, turning to face the beautiful man he'd somehow been lucky enough to catch. Reaching a hand up to cup Vincent's face, he kissed him slowly while his other hand wrapped around his lovers waist. Just being in his embrace made all his troubles disappear and gave him a sense of security he'd never felt before. Pulling back, he stared into those ruby eyes and sighed.

"Gods, you are amazing," he murmured. "No wonder I'm falling in love." Laguna's brain suddenly registered what he'd said and his face went pale as he froze in shock. _Oh fuck…._ He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud.

Vincent stilled immediately and breathed, "What did you just say?" He brought his hand up to trace long fingers over Laguna's face, as though to memorize every dip and curve. He felt an odd squeezing in his chest. He wanted so desperately to believe Laguna, but "You don't know me, Laguna." He staggered back, dragging Laguna with him, until he bumped into a chair and abruptly sat down. He looked up desperately at the gentle man who had just uttered the words he had waited an eternity to hear. "I'm dangerous… gods Laguna, I almost killed your son!" He wrapped his arms around Laguna's waist and laid his head on the man's abdomen.

"I do not think I know love anymore," he murmured, breathing in Laguna's unique scent and committing it to memory. "But when I think of you in danger it terrifies me, just as when I think of you sad I know I would kill myself to make you smile. If I were to have a greatest fear, Laguna, it would be that you would turn me away and look upon me with disgust." He held onto Laguna a little tighter. "When I am away from you I cannot rest, and when I am with you I have never felt such peace." He looked up searchingly into Laguna's green eyes. "Is that love?" Gods, he hoped that it was…

"I…," Laguna stuttered, suddenly lost for words as he tried to process everything Vincent had just said. Swallowing down his own fear of rejection, he decided to take a chance and lay his cards on the table. "I know we haven't known each other that long but I can't help the way I feel. Being with you… it's like nothing I've ever experienced before. The last week away from you I couldn't function and all I could think about was you. You will never be a monster to me and as for Squall…well, you'd be surprised how many people react to him that way." Smiling he cupped his lover's face in his hands and gazed down at him.

"I can't tell you how to feel or whether you love me or not. With time I think you will work it out for yourself. At the moment I'm just happy to take whatever you're willing to give me," he finished off, biting on his bottom lip and hoping he hadn't said too much. The last thing he wanted was to scare Vincent away with his romantic notions.

Vincent covered Laguna's hands on his face with his own. "I'd give you anything you asked of me, Laguna." He pulled the Estharian's hands away and gave a sharp tug. With a startled exclamation, Laguna tripped and awkwardly landed in Vincent's lap. He then wrapped his arms around Laguna's waist and proceeded to kiss the man, long and deep, as they were slow and lazy, growling contentedly as Laguna wrapped his own arms around his neck and leaned into the kissing. Finally they separated and Vincent grinned at Laguna's contented and dazed expression. "What shall we do today? I've already made you miss one meeting, what's on the agenda next?"

"Actually, I've got the day off. Kiros was worried about my…well lack of professional conduct over the last week so he insisted I take a break. I believe his exact words were 'go home and cheer the fuck up'." Lifting a hand to trace Vincent's jaw absently he continued, "I probably should call Kiros and get him to drop by so you can meet him and he can inform security that you'll be staying here for now. Don't want the guards trying to arrest you in the halls."

"They'll never catch me," Vincent chuckled, playfully nipping at Laguna's fingers when they wandered too close to his mouth. "But they are welcome to try." He situated Laguna more comfortably and leaned back more into the chair. He slowly began to trace his fingers over Laguna's naked chest, becoming fixated on the man's nipples; rubbing and pinching lightly before smoothing over them in a feather-light touch. "Who is this Kiros? Reeve's file didn't go very deeply into his role other than as your…aide? And that you served together."

"H…he's my best friend. He's kept me alive and…," Laguna arched into Vincent's touch, breathing in deeply before continuing, "I couldn't r…run the country without him."

"He's kept you alive," Vincent nuzzled Laguna's ear as a fierce feeling of possessiveness surged through him. He licked and nuzzled Laguna's earlobe. "Then I am forever in his debt." Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the phone on its cradle next to the chair. Grinning slyly he snagged it and plopped it in Laguna's lap, making the other man jump slightly. "How about now?" With a hesitant affirmative, Laguna picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number. While the smaller man engaged the other party on the line, Vincent's hand found Laguna's semi-erect penis through his soft pants.

Humming in approval he slipped his hand down the front of Laguna's pants and slowly began teasing the organ hard once again by lightly tracing just the tip of his finger over the flared head, grin growing wider as he felt moisture coat the digit. Then without warning he firmly grabbed Laguna's shaft and slowly began pumping it, twisting ever so slightly and bringing his palm on each upstroke to rub over the head before sliding back down again. Laguna was writhing on his lap and desperately trying to keep his voice level while he continued speaking into the phone. "I like you best hard, Laguna," Vincent rumbled into a delicate ear. "But I love it when you move like this and whimper." He breathed, "…moan my name, Laguna…."

Laguna bit his lip hard, trying desperately to hold back his moans as Vincent tormented him. Kiros began asking multiple questions about his new partner when all he wanted was to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

"K…Kiros, can I call you back. I…I've got to go and….Vin," he moaned the last word, despite his best attempts and felt his face go purple with embarrassment. Kiros fell silent on the other end of the phone as Laguna whimpered and looked pleadingly at Vincent for mercy.

"Okay," Kiros replied, chuckling as he continued. "Call me when you two are done." Laguna thanked the gods as the phone went dead and he dropped it on the floor, reaching his hands up to grab Vincent's face and kiss him hard as he thrust into his lover's hand.

Vincent chuckled when Laguna released his mouth to gasp and cry out as he came, soaking the crotch of his pants as well as Vincent's hand. Leaving his hand wrapped gently around Laguna's softening cock, careful not to move it, out of respect to fact that it would hurt, he murmured, "I should ease off. There won't be anything left of you if I keep up this pace." He kissed Laguna again, taking his time to explore the mouth under his, "Oooohh, but I cannot help it. I'm starving for you!" He breathed. Carefully he eased Laguna's pants off to drop to the floor as he held his lover cradled against his chest and slowly stroked Laguna's side and flank, resting his forehead against Laguna's.

Finally he kissed Laguna's temple and whispered, "But we really should make my presence known to those who need to know. I shall try and behave myself from here on out, even though I just want to keep us locked and naked in your bedroom for the next week…"

"Kiros will wait," Laguna whispered, shuffling backwards to kneel between Vincent's legs. He reached up and began to squeeze his lover's shaft through his pants, looking up into his eyes with a grin. "I…I want to taste you. Is that okay?" he asked nervously.

Vincent's breath caught in his throat as he felt Laguna's hand on the erection that was straining against his leathers. Breathing deeply he shifted in his seat and gripped the armrests and nodded, tilting his head to look into Laguna's eyes, "Yes," he moaned, licking his lips, "put your mouth on me…"

Laguna began to softly bite Vincent's cock through his leathers as his hands busied themselves undoing the buckles and zipper, pausing to peel them down to his lover's ankles. Looking into Vincent's eyes he began to lick the shaft lovingly, nipping the end lightly before sliding his lips over the top and continuing downwards. He still couldn't take as much in as he'd like to and had to use one hand on the base as his mouth worked the top of the shaft. He sucked hard, rolling his tongue along the underside as his hand moved in time to his movements.

Vincent groaned and threw his head back, encouraging him on with every sound that fell from his lips. Laguna groaned when a hand threaded through his hair and he allowed the younger man to thrust up into his mouth as his hand controlled the depth. He loved the fact he could make Vincent moan and writhe from his touch and wondered briefly what it would be like to have his younger lover under him, responding to him in such a way as he thrust into the tightness of him. The thought alone made his own erection return and he pushed his hips into Vincent's leg in time with the thrusts into his mouth.

Intelligent thought had left him, and the last time he checked, coherent speech had bailed on him as well as Vincent was reduced to gasps and rough moans. The feel of Laguna's mouth on his cock was exquisite. He cracked his eyes open to watch the Estharian's head bob up and down on his dick, captivated by the sight of his flesh disappearing into Laguna's mouth over and over. He bit his lip and continued his thrusting as the pressure slowly built; having begun as a tingle until it became a nerve-searing, delicious burn. "Laguna…" he rasped.

Vincent's thrusts became erratic as he approached his peak and Laguna's eyes where fixed on the sight of his beautiful lover completely losing his controlled façade. He was so enthralled that he completely missed Vincent's verbal warning and when the younger man reached his climax he found himself wishing that it had lasted longer. Gently cradling Vincent's spent member in his mouth, he gave it a few more gentle sucks before releasing it to sit back and smile up at the man he loved.

His own cock was now erect again and Vincent looked down at him with a wicked grin that had him a little worried that they were never going to get out of the bedroom today… which now that Laguna thought about it, wasn't a bad idea. His dreams of a full day in bed with his new lover where interrupted as his phone began to ring and sighing, he slowly rose to answer it.

"Laguna!" Selphie's voice trilled in his ear, killing his desire and ridding him of his erection in seconds. She was looking for Squall and Laguna was in no mood to explain the earlier blow up with his son to her, so he simply told her that Squall had already left before making an excuse of his own and ending the call. Looking back over to Vincent, he noticed that the other man hadn't even moved from where he'd left him and he smiled over his shoulder at his lover before re-dialing Kiros' number and requesting they get together for coffee and a light lunch.

Sated and comfortable, Vincent had no desire to get up just yet. Besides he was enjoying the view. He steepled his fingers in front of his face and cocked his head a little as he took in Laguna's broad, solidly-muscled back, tapering down into a narrow waist and rounded, tight buttocks that only hours ago he had parted and buried himself in between…Vincent cut off that train of thought in an effort to avoid yet another erection. He didn't know what it was about Laguna, but just being around the man did something to him, made him sexual and actually want to feel! He shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts when he realized that Laguna was talking to him. With a sigh he pulled off his pants, got up out of the chair and indicated that Laguna shower first.

He would have joined his lover, but he knew they'd be stuck in there for hours and never meet Kiros for lunch. When Laguna finished, coming out toweling his sable hair and glistening with water, he gritted his teeth, shut himself in the bathroom and took a very cold shower.


	5. Chapter 5

Laguna lead Vincent down the hall towards the conference room by the hand. They were meeting Kiros for lunch in private, so they didn't have to worry about the press or anyone else for the time being. He was a little worried how Kiros would react to Vincent and could only hope that it would be a positive introduction. The drama of Squall's morning visit was enough excitement for one day.

As they approached the door it swung open and a staff member walked out, greeting Laguna with a smile and informed them that Kiros would be around ten minutes late. He thanked the woman, choosing to ignore her raised eyebrow when she noticed him holding hands with Vincent, and entered the room, closing the door and turning to his lover.

"Well, looks like we have a little time to wait," he said, glancing around the empty room until his eyes rested on the table of food. Laguna smiled at the spread, silently thanking Kiros for organizing the meal at such short notice. He really was an amazing assistant.

Giving Laguna's hand a quick squeeze he dropped it in order to take a slow walk around the conference room. He nodded in approval at the culinary array, before turning to look out one of the large floor to ceiling windows and down on the streets and tress below him. He marveled again at how bright everything was here. He had elected to leave his torn and ragged cloak back in Laguna's quarters along with his gauntlet – no sense in appearing more frightening than he already did (he had noticed the strange and fearful looks thrown his way when the few people he had passed had seen his red eyes) – and had dressed in his fighting leathers.

The only color on him was his crimson headscarf he had chosen to wear in an attempt to control his thick, wild hair. He turned back to Laguna, and studied his lover a moment before coming around the table to wrap his arms around him from behind. He had noticed the slight fidgeting. "Nervous?" He kissed Laguna's temple. "I would be lying if I said that I was calm right now. Why don't you tell me a little about Kiros so that I might know how to talk to him when he arrives? I would have this meeting go a little better than my introduction to your son."

Laguna chuckled at Vincent's words, knowing that he'd been thinking the exact same thing. "Kiros is far easier to get along with than Squall. He is an honorable man who is usually serious and very protective of those he cares about. Although when he relaxes and gets comfortable with a person his cheeky, teasing side comes out in full force. Physically…well I suppose he gets described as cat-like by a lot of people. The ladies love his natural grace and fawn all over him." Laguna's smile grew wide as he continued, "Not that any of them have the slightest chance with him."

Vincent laughed softly, burying his nose in Laguna's hair before releasing the smaller man. "So he prefers company of the male persuasion then," he said thoughtfully, approving of Kiros' description. "If he is as honorable as you say, then I believe he and I should get along very well indeed." He would have said more, but was interrupted by the sudden opening of the conference room door and the entrance of a lean, attractive dark-skinned man wearing a warm and welcoming smile.

"Kiros!" Laguna said, walking over to hug his friend. Kiros chuckled as he returned the embrace, glancing up at the stranger in the room curiously. "This is Vincent. He's the one I met in Midgar," Laguna added nervously as he stepped back and chewed his lip.

"Pleased to meet you, Vincent," Kiros said, smiling as he held out his hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Vincent said, nodding and accepting Kiros' hand in a firm and solid grip, while his gloved hand came up to rest on Laguna's lower back as he sought to comfort the shorter man.

Laguna let out his breath in relief. _Well, that was easier than last time._ As they sat down around the table, he noticed Kiros was studying Vincent intensely and he tried to stop his nervous fidgeting.

"Laguna, relax. I'm not gonna do a Squall on you," Kiros chuckled out, smiling across the table. "I'm just happy to see you smiling again."

"Laguna, relax. I'm not gonna do a Squall on you," Kiros chuckled out, smiling across the table. "I'm just happy to see you smiling again."

Vincent winced involuntarily at Kiros' words. That was a rather sore subject. But what Kiros said grabbed his attention. "Did Laguna not smile?" _Way to go, Valentine, of all the dumb questions to ask_. He didn't know why that mattered so much to him, but it did.

"He's been completely miserable ever since he came back from Midgar… staring out the windows like a love struck puppy," Kiros teased, grinning at Laguna who blushed a lovely shade of magenta in response to his words.

"Kiros!" Laguna whined, kicking him under the table. Kiros yelped in the middle of laughing but the kick only seemed to make him laugh more.

Vincent chuckled. "Well, his reaction is certainly more preferable than mine, I assure you." Unerringly, his hand found Laguna's thigh where he followed it up to dangerously close to the man's groin where he absently rubbed slow, soothing circles, occasionally nudging the man's cock. "The entire time we were apart, I'm afraid I was rather dangerously… irritable."

Laguna squeaked when Vincent's hand crept up his leg but at least his face couldn't get any more red. He should of known that introducing these two was going to be a whole new kind of painful.

"So, this is serious then?" Kiros asked, his glance flicking between both of the men before him. Laguna rolled his eyes and huffed at his friend.

"Yes, dad!" he said sarcastically, running a hand through his hair as he shuffled in his seat. Vincent's hand was… distracting, to say the least.

"Sorry, not really my business. My apologies," Kiros replied meekly, blushing himself as he looked down at the table.

Vincent grinned and rolled his eyes. "Children, am I going to have to separate you?" He took his hand away from Laguna's thigh and rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward to look into Kiros' eyes – as soon as the man looked back up. "I would like this to be serious, yes. If Laguna will consent to have me." He let that hang in the air a moment before leaning back in his seat once more. "Tell me, Kiros, if you would indulge me in this. But how long have you known Laguna?"

Kiros grinned at Vincent, deciding that so far he was impressed by this young man. At first he'd thought that maybe someone so young wouldn't be a good match for his friend but this one seemed far more mature than Laguna was.

"We were in the army together which was… what, twenty years ago?" Kiros answered, looking at Laguna who had recovered some of his normal coloring.

"Yeah, it would be around twenty years," Laguna chuckled. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now. He's saved my life so many times that I've lost count." Laguna smiled fondly at his best friend, realizing how lucky he was to have him.

"And it is as I've told Laguna before: I owe you a great debt, Kiros." He gazed at Laguna soberly. "Through Laguna, I have a real chance at happiness. After all these long, long years… I think, I can dare to dream again." He picked up his water glass and drained about half of it, suddenly a little embarrassed himself. "I should very much like your approval, Kiros. Are there no questions you might have for me?"

"Trust me, you don't need my approval. Laguna doesn't often listen to me anyway," he smirked, winking at his friend. "As for questions… I suppose there are a few things I'd like to ask…." His sentence was cut off by a loud beeping coming from the phone on the wall near the door. "Excuse me for a moment," Kiros said standing up to answer it.

Laguna glanced up at Vincent, reaching over to grab his hand and squeeze it. He was very happy about how well this was going but didn't know how to put his relief into words. Kiros returned looking a little pissed as Laguna looked up at him.

"I'm sorry but business calls. Apparently, General Caraway is having a fit about the trade talks we had last month and wants to speak to you in person. He's pissed about Timber getting that contract over him and just needs your sympathy, I think. Do you think you could handle it? I'll keep Vincent company while you do."

"I better take the call in my office. Will you be okay here for a minute, Vin?" Laguna asked his lover.

Vincent gave Laguna a reassuring smile and returned the hand-squeeze. "I shall be fine. I promise I will not throttle your best friend." As Laguna grinned and rose, and he grabbed his lover's hand as he walked by, pulling him down for a lazy kiss and rumbled, "Hurry back." Before letting him go, watching Laguna until the door closed behind him. With a sigh he turned back to Kiros and raised an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

Kiros grinned at the kiss as he watched the two men part across the table. Damn, these two were cute together. Straightening up in his chair, he frowned as he thought about what he wanted to ask. He didn't want to just come out and ask it bluntly so he had choose his words carefully.

"I was going to ask you how long will you be staying in Esthar," he finally managed.

Vincent frowned a little at the loaded question. "Hn," he murmured, "I believe the socially appropriate answer would be for as long as I am welcome here, however, the truthful answer would be for as long as Laguna will have me." He leaned back in his chair and tapped his forefinger on the tabletop. "I have never been lucky in love, Kiros. I suppose you might say, the last time I gave my heart, it was quite literal, and my 'life' as it were has never been the same since. I have no desire to make Laguna's life difficult, and I only wish to help where I may while indulging my own – rather repressed – selfishness."

Kiros looked across the table at the other man with one eyebrow raised. Great, the guy was as smart as he was beautiful and had seen right through his attempts to skirt around the point. Noticing the strange wording of some of Vincent's answer, his curiosity flared but he held it back for another time, deciding to stick to his original concern.

"Vincent, I believe you are the kind of man that prefers direct questions, so would it be too forward of me to just be blunt with you?"

"You are a most perceptive man, Kiros," Vincent said a little absently but still with a great deal of respect. "I do prefer direct questions as I feel that to dance around a subject tends to impart that one has something to hide. That, and my patience wears thin quickly. More so now than when I was… younger." He gave Kiros a little smile as he propped his elbows up on the arms of his chair to steeple his fingers in front of his mouth and nose as he watched his companion. "I do not consider it too forward at all, after all we are amongst friends here are we not?"

"It's just that I wanted to ask you about Laguna. He's been… well… alone for a long time and I'm glad to see him with someone after all this time. I only have to look at him to see how happy you make him." Kiros smiled up at Vincent nervously, fiddling with his napkin as he floundered for the right words.

"I just worry about him. Laguna… when he gets attached to someone, he tends to get serious fast and never does it half assed. What I mean is, he falls hard and I don't want to see him hurt. My apologies for rambling but I just want to know if you are serious about him and I am hoping that… well, that you are…." Kiros voice broke off as he blushed and looked down at the table. Fuck, why couldn't he get out a coherent sentence when it came to worrying about his best friend? He knew that to see Laguna broken hearted again would kill him but it really wasn't his place to ask this. Kiros just hoped that Vincent would not be offended.

Vincent smiled gently. "I think I have noticed that about Laguna." He lowered his hands to rest on the table as he leaned forward, grabbing Kiros' eyes again with his own; he sought to reassure the man. "I appreciate your concern for him, Kiros, and it does my heart glad to know that he has such people looking out for him. I am not normally one to trust another so quickly, so the fact that I have done so with Laguna is unusual, but I have been on the receiving end of hurt and betrayal and I would wish no such thing on another… especially him." He grew wistful, his eyes distant, as he murmured, "I used to be like Laguna, until that ability to feel so deeply and so thoroughly was taken from me; beaten from my heart even as my body was disfigured and ruined."

His eyes focused once again on Kiros. "I thought I could never feel that way again. I didn't even want to try… until I met Laguna. He showed me that those kinds of feelings still existed and that woke something up inside of me." He chuckled. "Now it is my turn to beg forgiveness, as I tend to rather dramatically digress. To reassure you: yes, I am most serious. I do not lie when I say that I hold Laguna's happiness above my own."

"I'm relieved to hear it. Look, I really shouldn't even be bothering you. You said earlier that you were serious and it's wrong of me to make you repeat yourself just to satisfy my insecurities. Laguna would kill me if he knew I was. I know he can look after himself and is an adult it's just that… well, he is like a brother to me and I can't help but worry," Kiros said, still embarrassed to be prying into Laguna's personal life.

"I should be giving him more credit, as he's not as ignorant as I make him out to be. For example, there was one woman a while ago who tried to romance Laguna and I found out that her intentions where less than true. She was after money and power and had no real feelings for him. I had to work up the courage to try and tell him but when I did he wasn't surprised. He already knew that she wasn't after his heart which surprised me. When I asked him how he knew, he simply said that he could tell by the way she kissed him. Laguna tends to be a lot more perceptive than anyone realizes."

Thinking back to what else the young man before him had said, he added, "I am sorry that you've been hurt in the past but I do believe that you are more like Laguna, when it comes to your heart, than you know. I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. Sometimes, past hurt can make one feel as if their heart has died but it only takes the right person to bring it to life once more." Kiros looked down at the table, embarrassed that his romantic notions on life had slipped out.

Vincent chuckled. "Perhaps you are right, Kiros. But that side of me is small, and weak. I have done much in my life to choke its growth, and I am intimate with death. Peace…," he held up his hand when he saw Kiros sit up a little straighter, "…you have nothing to fear from me immediately. My past is a dark one, but it takes much to push me too far. Squall was rather frighteningly efficient at getting me near to my breaking point, but I think that was only where Laguna was concerned. I do feel though, that I must warn you that I can get rather… protective, of those I care for."

"If it means Laguna will be safer, it doesn't bother me. When it comes to Squall, there are probably some things I should fill you in about. Firstly, Laguna loves the boy completely, so hurting him is not an option. I have to admit, I too have had urges to do the same. Secondly, he is the Commander of SeeD. This means he is the head of the most powerful organization in our corner of the world. It's a lot of stress and responsibility and his outbursts are… somewhat to be expected. Not many people have saved the world and been left to run a whole organization by the tender age of eighteen.  
Add that to his growing up in an orphanage where he was sent off to be trained as a killer when still a child… well, it's all a complicated mess that Laguna feels completely responsible for," he finished, sighing as he ran his fingers absently along one of his braids.

Now that was some useful information, small bit though it was. Reeve's file had not given much detail in regards to just what exactly SeeD was, and this bit he got from Kiros, little though it may be, was something to go off of. Vincent was nothing if not good at digging up information. Once a Turk, always a Turk and old habits died very hard. "Hn, yes," he said thoughtfully. "I gathered as much when he separated us. Squall's story is indeed a sad one. When the appropriate amount of time has passed, I shall make an apology to the boy." Vincent cocked his head and said, "But if I am to live here, with Laguna, is there naught I could do in the way of offering my services?"

Kiros looked up, surprised by the suggestion, although it did make him happy as it was an indication that Vincent would be here on a permanent basis.

"Actually, that's a good question. Well, to tell you the truth, I have been bothering Laguna for years about getting a bodyguard. He's always traveling around by himself and for a leader of a country it's just not safe for him to do so. Laguna is rather stubborn on that point though, so I don't know. Then again, I'd say he'd be dragging you with him now anyway. Would you be interested in the position if I could talk Laguna into it?" he said, looking up hopefully. Kiros would sleep better knowing that someone was with Laguna, ensuring his safety when he took off on his jaunts around the world.

That sobered him right up. The thought of Laguna not taking protective precautions was unacceptable. "Yes." He replied, "I would accept that position, and I shall work on Laguna myself to insure that he sees the wisdom of your words, Kiros." He smiled wryly. "Many, many years ago, I used to do that very thing for a living, so I have developed a certain skill where protection is concerned… protection and, other things, only my employer was not an honorable man. He viewed us all as disposable."

"I can assure you that will not happen here," Kiros began before stopping as Laguna came back into the room with a frown. "Laguna, what's wrong?" he asked. Laguna looked up and grinned at both men who where looking at him with worry plain on their faces.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just left over annoyance from talking to Caraway. So what did I miss?" he asked, walking over to take his place next to Vincent. As he sat down he looked at his lover, letting the warmth of the man sooth him.

As soon as Laguna sat back down Vincent felt his shoulders relax. He hadn't realized how tense he had gotten. He reached over and laced his fingers with Laguna's and grinned. "Not much. Kiros here was telling me about the time you stripped naked and ran through town, although I have to wonder how you managed to end up in the fountain, let alone the cactus spines in your ass and wearing lipstick, but I suppose those details shall just remain a mystery. I shall not even inquire about the goat." How he managed to keep a straight face, he didn't know as he cocked his head and waited to see Laguna's reaction.

"What?" Laguna squeaked. Kiros began laughing so hard that tears began to trickle down his cheeks. Laguna tried to glare at his lover but could only hold the look for a couple of seconds before he too began to laugh. "You ass," he chuckled out, squeezing Vincent's hand as his face flushed red.

Laughing outright, Vincent winked lazily at Laguna. "Truthfully, Laguna, I was simply reassuring your friend that my intentions toward you are as honest as they are serious. And he has also brought to my attention that you insist on going places without an escort or protection, and at the risk of sounding paternal, I find that most unacceptable," he said seriously, turning to face Laguna. "Kiros has offered me the position of guard to you and I have accepted it. Laguna…," he reached his free hand up to trace the smaller man's cheek. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you… not when I could protect you. Do not deny me this position, as you would ease not just my mind but others' as well who care for you, if you agree to this."

Laguna turned to glare over the table at Kiros who grinned back at him. Great, this was a subject that he'd thought they'd been through more than enough times in the past. Looking back to Vincent he sighed, knowing that this time he would not win. Honestly, he really didn't want to go anywhere without his lover so there was no point in arguing about it.

"Okay. You win, Kiros," he muttered, taking a drink from his coffee to try to cover up his pout.

"Don't you dare sulk about this, Laguna. You're the only leader in the world that is naïve enough to wander about on your own. Or have you forgotten the kidnapping attempt at Balamb last year already? If Squall hadn't been there, we may have lost you," Kiros said, suddenly serious as he remembered getting the phone call that day from the SeeD Commander.

Vincent instantly stilled at that, going completely numb as fear and rage suffused him. His gaze grew cold and feral as he stared at Laguna. He didn't lecture his lover, the man was intelligent, but he let his glacial expression say everything. Finally he turned to Kiros and said darkly, "That will never happen again. Laguna's protection is now my business. If I am to take this job, I want no one questioning my decisions or orders and I need absolute clearance to all grounds, rooms, and archives. Is that acceptable?"

Kiros' eyebrow rose up at Vincent's response, surprised but relieved that at least Laguna's lover agreed with him on the seriousness of the matter. The President was still pouting but he knew his friend would get over his reservations eventually.

"It may take time to get you the clearance you want. Since the attempt, all requests for security clearance have had to go through Garden, which means Squall. He insisted on it after failing to convince Laguna to allow him to assign SeeDs as bodyguards. Garden has the expertise to thoroughly check the backgrounds of all applicants. Will checking your background be problematic?" he asked. He'd gotten the impression from their earlier conversation that Vincent had a past that was rather colorful.

Vincent winced. That could prove to be rather problematic. But it appeared that Kiros was willing to work with him, and if he was to get what he wanted he would have to open up to someone other than Laguna. He needed allies in this. "Yes," he said simply. "Before I died, I was employed by the ShinRa Electric Company in the Department of Administrative Research, where myself and others answered only to the president himself. Before I was sent to Neibelheim – and my fate – I had attained a high level of clearance in that department, and earned one of the highest ranks short of Director. We specialized in protection, interrogation, espionage, intelligence and assassination as well as other small and sometimes random jobs. My particular skill was marksmanship, to which I excelled with no equal. After the Meteor debacle when one of Gaia's Weapons retaliated against ShinRa,, the ShinRa tower was utterly destroyed and all records were lost. I tried to locate them, but they are gone, so you must rely on my word. I am sorry."

"You died? Uhh, forgive me but could you explain that?" Kiros asked, his eyes wide. Laguna flinched in his seat and tried to change the subject.

"Kiros, couldn't I just talk to Squall and fix this? I don't see why Vincent has to be harassed like this," the older man muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Considering that Squall left your suite this morning swearing and ranting about you, I really don't know if that's a good idea Laguna," Kiros answered his friend before turning back to Vincent to wait for his reply.

Vincent rested his hand on Laguna's thigh a moment in reassurance before he said softly, "The details of it all are, in the end, unimportant. I was… am… the product of a sick and twisted experiment, and amongst my new skill set are enhanced strength, senses and an enhanced rate of regeneration. I was twenty-seven when I died, and so shall my body always remain. I was young and foolish, giving my heart blindly and without thinking of the consequences. But time has taught me much, and I have learned my lessons well in betrayal and sacrifice… and ultimately forgiveness."

He glanced first at Laguna and then down at his hand that rested on the table before returning his gaze to Kiros' face. "I am nearly sixty-five years old. I will never age…," he swallowed and ended softly, "…and I will never die. At least… as far as I know." He leaned forward and said earnestly, "You should know that I have had three demons grafted into my very DNA, and was host to one of Gaia's creations: Chaos, squire to Omega, and I am still able to tap into some of its residual power as it too had become part of my genetic makeup. I have since been parted with it, but its effects to my body are enduring. But when I am pushed to my limit, either physically or mentally, I "break" and transform into one of those three. I've developed a great deal of control over them, but the possibility is always there that I might… change…," he broke off, running his hand nervously though his thick hair. _Shit, I hope I didn't just fuck myself_ , he thought before he looked back up at Kiros. "You can trust me," _I hope_. "Kiros, I _need_ that clearance…"

Kiros frowned, looking down at the table as he processed all that Vincent had said. Glancing over at Laguna, he saw that his friend was peering at him with a worried look and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'll be honest with you, Vincent. What you've said… well it's a lot to take in but if Laguna trusts you than I do too. While I find your story hard to believe, I have no reason to doubt your honesty. After all, why in the world would you make up something like that?" Sighing, he fiddled with a braid of hair as he continued, "Your training makes you a perfect protector and the fact you're emotionally involved means I'm certain that you'll never let anyone hurt Laguna. He's always had a knack for knowing people which I don't have. I just have to ask one thing. These demons… is there a chance they could hurt Laguna?" he asked, looking back to Vincent.

Vincent relaxed a little. Kiros was taking this all rather well, and his concern was a valid one. "You do right to worry, Kiros, but I do not believe that Laguna is in any danger from them, no. When I became… aggressive with Squall back in Laguna's quarters, I believe I was close to a break –as I hadn't had one recently- and as soon as Laguna touched me it was as though all the tension eased out of my body. It was odd, actually. No other person has had that effect on me, which is why I believe he would be safe from them. And if anything, he'd be even safer as they tend to get rather… protective, of what they perceive as 'theirs'. It's everyone else I'm concerned about, but if Laguna can 'defuse' me, then I do not think they will be a problem."

Kiros thought over Vincent's explanation, finally deciding that if Laguna would be safe, the rest they could deal with in time. After all, these 'demons' couldn't be all that bad, could they? Taking a deep breath, he looked up to find the other two men gazing at each other. _Gods, these two really are adorable_ , Kiros thought to himself as he smiled. Resisting the urge to tease, Kiros decided it was time to get things moving.

"Well, that's good enough for me. As long as Laguna is safe, I'm happy. I think I'll take my leave and go make some calls. Laguna, I'll run our idea past Irvine first. His support would help us out with Squall no end. As soon as I hear anything back, you'll be the first to know," Kiros finished, standing up and stretching.

"Thanks, Kiros. I don't know what I'd do without you, you know?" Laguna said fondly, breaking eye contact with Vincent to smile at his friend.

"It's nice to be needed," Kiros grinned back. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Vincent and don't worry too much. If worst comes to worst, you can always travel around with Laguna in a strictly 'unofficial' capacity. I'd prefer to at least pay you for the inconvenience, though." Laguna threw a napkin at Kiros' teasing and he dodged it easily as he headed out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Squall sat in the Ragnorak, glaring at his best friend and co-worker who was smiling back at him. Why Irvine insisted they come all this way was beyond him. It was bad enough his father had shacked up with this guy who nobody knew anything about, but now he also wanted to employ him as his full time bodyguard.

As far as Squall was concerned the man was dangerous and he wasn't comfortable having him at Laguna's side twenty-four hours a day. His mind replayed the morning a week before when he'd found them together in bed. The sight of them lying together so peacefully had hit him hard, like a bullet piercing his heart. It reminded him of Seifer and what they'd had before the Sorceress had come and taken him from Squall. All he'd been left with were memories and a new relationship with a woman he could barely stand to be in the same room with. He'd saved the whole fucking planet and got nothing but shit in reward. Squall had only wanted one thing back but even now, years later, there was no sign of Seifer anywhere. Running a hand through his hair he decided he needed a distraction.

"Irvine. What exactly do you think this is going to achieve?" he growled out at the infuriatingly calm cowboy.

Grinning lazily, Irvine propped his long legs up on the table and pushed his chair back on two legs. "Well," he drawled, using a finger to push his cowboy hat back on his head before lacing his fingers together back over his stomach again, "This new fella that yer old man's shacked up with is want'n clearance to a whole lotta classified information, Squall. Or was yer head too far up yer ass that ya missed that little fact?" He winked at his friend, "I figured you'd wanna get a little more knowledge on him b'fore we just hand 'im the key to the Garden's mainframe."

"We could just shoot the fuck," Squall muttered under his breath, wishing that he could allow himself such freedom. "I don't see why we just couldn't say no and leave it at that. Laguna signed over his security to us and is under contract to obey Garden's decisions."

"Right," Irvine said with a snort, thumping his chair back down onto all fours. "Laguna's never listened t'us, ya dummy, and likely never will no thanks t' yer lovable personality. Just 'cause he's got yer panties in a twist don't mean he's a bad fella. Laguna ain't dumb, Squall, no matter how many times you try 'n convince us to th' contrary. I wanna get a gander of 'im before we think about condemning 'im to the category of 'bad influence'. 'Sides," he leaned forward onto his arms and grinned coyly at Squall. "Kiros seems to think he's all right."

Squall looked back at Irvine and sighed. As much as he didn't like to admit it, the cowboy had a point. Laguna would find a way to get what he wanted, and it was the smarter option to find out as much as they could about this Vincent while they were able to.

"Whatever," he conceded, looking away from his friend and dropping his eyes to the floor. "Don't expect a warm welcome. The guy tried to kill me last time we met."

Irvine threw back his head and laughed merrily. "Aw perish the thought! Hell, Squall, the day I see ya give a warm welcome I'll eat my own undershorts." Getting up from his chair with the fluid grace of a trained killer, he shoved his cowboy hat back down onto his head and came around the table to thump his friend on the back, huge grin still in place. "If I had a gil for every person I've come across whose either wanted or tried ta kill ya, I could've bought my own damn island by now." At Squall's glare, he just laughed again. "I don't know what th' big deal is anyway, yer just a big ol' teddy bear with a couple 'a rough edges. Now I'm gonna go see if the pilot c'n get us there any quicker." And with a wink he left his surly friend to his brooding.

Squall hadn't said a word to Irvine since the ship landed, preferring to wallow in his own thoughts instead and stare out the glass panel of the elevator in the Presidential Palace. He would rather be shopping with Rinoa than here and that was saying something. Looking over at the cowboy who was leaning against the wall looking relaxed and at ease, as always, he scowled. What the hell was he supposed to say to Laguna? He knew he should apologize for barging into his room unannounced but saying sorry was something he never did. Chewing on his lip, he stared at the floor. He wished he had his gunblade with him. Why he let his friend talk him into leaving it behind was beyond him.

"Hey," Irvine said, whacking Squall in the shoulder. "Unlock yer jaw, Squall. Yer gonna have ta talk to 'im ya know if ya wanna find anything out." Squall looked as though he was going to say something, but was interrupted by the 'ding' of the elevator, and the heavy doors sliding open. Kiros was waiting for them and after a brisk nod the man turned and led the way down the hall to a vacant conference room. They all filed in and Kiros shut the door behind them. Irvine picked the chair at the head of the table and sat down heavily, leaning back and thunking his boots down on table's surface. Slouching low he pulled his hat down over his eyes and laced his fingers over his stomach, eyes shut but ears open.

"Squall, Irvine. Glad you could make it on such short notice. Laguna and Vincent are on their way and should be here any minute," Kiros said, focusing on the Commander who looked like a walking storm cloud…not that he ever looked much different. "Squall, I am hoping that we can act like adults today and that tempers will be kept in check. Do you think that is manageable?"

"I'm not a fucking child, Kiros. Stop talking to me like I'm ten years old," Squall growled out, slumping in his chair and glaring out from under his bangs.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you and Vincent nearly come to blows the last time you were in the same room?"

"I simply asked him who the fuck he was and the guy tried to kill me. Not my fault," Squall replied stiffly. Kiros took a deep breath, sitting down and sighing at the boy he considered to be family.

"Squall, come on. You found him naked in your father's bed. It was pretty obvious who he was. I know you and I've met Vincent. He is a…well unusual character but he would not have threatened you unless he was provoked. Are you going to tell me that you did nothing to cause such a reaction?" Kiros asked, softening his voice to try to sound less accusatory. Squall lowered his eyes, chewing on his lip in a way that always reminded Kiros of Laguna.

"Okay, I'll admit that I may have been less than civil. It was a shock. I could have handled it better," Squall muttered. Kiros smiled, happy that at least Squall was regretful of what had happened. Well, as regretful as Squall ever got.

"Then today will not be a repeat performance?" Kiros asked. He really didn't want to have to mediate a punch up today.

"No. I'll be civil. Look can we just get on with this now?" Squall said, frowning and setting his face into its usual scowl. Right on cue, a knock sounded on the door and in walked Laguna with Vincent at his heels. Laguna's eyes immediately sought out Squall and he smiled at his son fondly, walking over to greet him first.

"Squall, can we… um… can I have a word with you in private first?" Laguna asked nervously. Squall nodded once, standing up to follow his father back out of the room without even glancing at Vincent.

Expressionlessly, Vincent watched Squall follow his father out into the hall and close the door behind them, feeling a muscle tick in his jaw. Turning around he nodded to Kiros and then eyed the third person in the room. He couldn't see the young man's face as it was lowered and hidden behind a cowboy hat. Long legs were kicked up onto the table in a manner than instantly reminded him Cid Highwind, and the rest of the young man's body was completely relaxed, almost appearing as if he were asleep. Vincent however was not fooled. The youth had a subtle strength and a coiled lethality that he hid expertly behind the lazy façade. He looked at Kiros and the man introduced 'cowboy hat'.

"Vincent, this is Irvine Kinneas, Squall's Second and Headmaster of Galbadia Garden." Kiros chuckled and said wryly, "Don't let his appearance fool you, he's rather sharp when he puts his mind to it. Irvine, I give you Vincent Valentine."

Squall pulled the door shut behind him and turned to look at Laguna. His father was frowning and fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously and he almost smiled at the sight. Deciding it was time to give a little, he spoke first.

"Laguna, I wanted to… say sorry," Squall said softly. Laguna looked up, shocked at what he'd just heard.

"Squall I…," Laguna stumbled on his words. He'd brought his son out to discuss this but never in a million years had he thought the boy would apologize. "Thank you," he finally managed, his face lighting up with a smile.

Squall looked down at his feet, uncomfortable. He was not going to give his father any more than that. To let himself get attached to this man would be disastrous. Everyone he loved left and after all these years he'd learned that it was better to keep people at arms length. _Better for them anyway…_

"Squall, I'm sorry too. It must have been a shock to walk in and see me and Vincent. I… I just didn't know what to say or do when I came out and Vincent and you…," Laguna's voice trailed off before the President took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"It's fine," Squall whispered, chewing on his lip and frowning at his feet. Laguna stepped forward, reaching out a hand to lift his son's chin and look into his eyes.

"I want you to know that what you've said to me today means the world to me, okay?" Laguna said softly. Squall looked into his father's eyes and what he saw there shook him. This man, his father, really did love him. Squall didn't understand it but he could still see it there. He bit his lip harder as tears threatened to fall and pulled away. Squall Leonhart did not cry.

"Okay," Squall whispered, slipping his face back into its usual mask of hostility as Laguna lead the way back into the conference room.

When the two men had entered the room, Irvine had kept his eyes closed, relying instead upon his ears and his 'feel' of the others in the room. He knew that the eye often deceived, and he cocked his head as he tried to 'read' his companions. Kiros he could pick out, calm and steady as always, but he frowned when he focused upon this 'Vincent'. He got nothing; it was almost as if the man was a void, so great was his control over his emotions. He knew the other man was looking at him by the way his skin crawled, but other than that… empty. When Kiros announced Vincent, without looking up, Irvine raised a finger in a detached 'hello'.

"Are all of your 'Headmasters' so chatty, Kiros?" Vincent asked, amusement clearly evident in his voice, and Irvine could avoid looking at his guest no longer, not with that incredible, deep voice shivering over his nerves. Cautiously the Galbadian gunman cocked his head and looked up out from under the brim of his cowboy hat… and met a stunning pair of sharp red eyes. And that wasn't all, as Irvine felt a sudden shock of electricity shoot through his body causing his eyes to widen, and judging by Vincent's eyes narrowing, the foreigner had felt it too.

"Naw," Irvine answered lazily. "Only th' ones that matter… my _Valentine_." Vincent snorted and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. Irvine grinned widely. "I heard ya were workin' some serious attitude over on my boy, Squall, that right?"

"For which I am unfortunately regretting," Vincent replied with a grunt and Irvine threw his head back and laughed delightedly, one hand holding his hat in place so it didn't roll off his head.

"Aw shit, Vincent… I c'n call ya Vincent, can't I? 'Ol Squall needs a good whuppin' ever now and then t' keep his head deflated." Irvine sobered a little then and leaned forward over the table as he tipped his hat up on his forehead, smile smaller but still in place. "But let's not have that happ'n again, we clear?" Vincent frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the conference room door opening and Laguna and Squall joining them once again.

Laguna couldn't wipe the grin from his face as he entered the conference room and walked over to Vincent. He took a hold of his lover's hand, squeezing it gently as he resisted the urge to drag his partner off to celebrate how good he felt. Finally, after years of trying, he'd made some headway with his son. Laguna had begun to give up on ever being able to make a crack in Squall's emotional walls but here, when he'd least expected it, it had happened. It was taking all of Laguna's self control to resist the urge to hug his son and he really needed to hug someone soon.

Vincent grinned at Laguna and squeezed his lover's hand back while his brain tripped over this new character 'Irvine' who talked suspiciously like Cid with the same lazy drawl, and he had to wonder just where Irvine hailed from. But that could wait until later. He had something very important that he needed to do.

Leveling a mild gaze on Squall, who sat scowling over the table at him, he said softly, "I owe you an apology, Squall. What I did was unforgivable and uncalled for. I ask that you accept my apology and I give you my word that it will not happen again. Though I do not doubt your considerable fighting ability, nor do I discount your ability to command warriors, as one does not achieve your position without having great skill at both, I am extending my protection to you as well. You are beloved to Laguna, and therefore beloved to myself, so I shall watch from the shadows and never interfere unless you ask it of me, and this is given regardless of the outcome of this meeting. Is this acceptable to you?"

Squall stared at Vincent, trying to formulate a response that was appropriate and wouldn't upset anyone in the room. _Great, two apologies in one day… Irvine will never let me live it down_.

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry for my earlier behaviour," Squall finally answered, ignoring Irvine's chuckling beside him. Looking up at Vincent and Laguna he added, "I don't need any protection. He does though and you are unknown to us." Squall nodded at the President with his last comment before looking back at Vincent for a response.

Vincent chuckled and rested his free hand on the table. "I expected just such an answer from you Squall, which is why I said 'from the shadows'. You'll never see me, unless I want you to see me." He held up his hand when Squall opened his mouth, and continued, "Make no mistake, my first priority is to Laguna. But you are family and family must be protected." He glanced over at Laguna and his grin widened. "Besides, I do not think Laguna would have it any other way." Then he grew serious once more. "Which brings us to the real reason we are having his meeting. I shall be up front with you. If I am to adequately protect Laguna, I shall need access to all high security databases, in essence your mainframe."

"I shall need to know schedules, itineraries, dossiers and reports filed from anyone… from Kiros to the groundskeeper. I need to know this building and grounds from basement to attic, every mortar, brick and shingle as well as any other building Laguna is known to frequent. In other words, blueprints. I shall require clearance to all areas and I do not wish to waste time with unnecessary questions from subordinates or the curious. Your concern is a valid one and I completely understand your hesitance and I would willingly volunteer any files on myself, but they were destroyed when the ShinRa tower in Midgar was destroyed during Meteor fall. I will answer any and all of your questions, or you may consult Kiros.

I will accept whatever decision you come to; however, I cannot stress the importance of my being informed. If it will ease your mind, while I answer directly to Laguna in this matter, I shall work closely with you, Squall, and keep you well informed. Again, is this acceptable? Take all the time you need to come to your decision as I am not going anywhere."

Squall listened to every word intently, one eyebrow going up at the 'you are family' bit. Shaking the thought away, he concentrated on what else the gunman had said.

Vincent's requirements illustrated that he did have training in the area of protection, and were normal things that Squall himself would request if doing a similar job. The fact that even if Squall said no Laguna would take his partner with him anyway, hadn't escaped the Commander's attention either. There was only one way that Squall could retain any control of this situation and it would also supply him with just what he wanted.

"Since there is no way to verify anything you say, it becomes a matter of trust," Squall said flatly. "Laguna, how long have you known Vincent?"

The President looked back at his son and frowned. Laguna had been ready for questions but he hadn't even really thought about what a short time it had been. Closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair, Laguna realized that he was asking Squall to give security clearance to a man he'd known for two weeks. His son could never allow such a risk without some kind of condition, and the President was praying that it wouldn't be something painful.

"Two weeks," Laguna answered, opening his eyes to hold Squall's gaze. "What will it take for you to clear this? We're all busy men with better ways to be wasting our time." The President felt Vincent's grip on his hand tighten under the table and he gave it a squeeze.

"I want to leave Irvine here to ensure that our trust is not misplaced. He needs full access to Vincent and any files you have on him. Irvine will interview you all while he is here and then we'll make a final decision. One month should be sufficient," Squall said, turning to look at Irvine. He hoped the cowboy didn't protest to being volunteered as he was perfect for the mission. Squall needed someone he could trust who would be unbiased in his reports back on Valentine and his intensions towards the president.

 _Thanks a lot, ya asshole_ , Irvine thought irritably while carefully schooling his expression into one of boredom. He wished Squall would have a little more confidence in Laguna's ability to judge people. Klutzy and chronically unlucky the President may be, he did have an uncanny ability to know the measure of a man – or woman – by just spending a little bit of time around them. But, Squall did have an anally constrictive nature, and the fact that Laguna so quickly accepted Vincent's protection over Squall's and Garden's did nothing to relax his friend's sphincter any. Maybe he could get a little payback though before he began his sentence…

"Well," he said, kicking back in his chair and propping his boots back up onto the table again. "Since I'm pretty much gonna be sharin' the shitter with these two fer the next month, why don't you handle the questioning for this meetin' then, Squally." On the plus side, Vincent was not exactly hard on the eyes. Though he preferred women as a rule, he could appreciate a pretty face when he saw one regardless of what was parked between the legs, and those high cheek bones, pale, flawless skin, full lower lip meeting that cupid's bow not to mention the man's thick black hair, fine eyebrows arching above a pair of the most uniquely colored and depthless eyes he had ever seen was prime 'distraction' material; case in point.

 _Not to mention subject for a hell'uv'a wet-dream_ , he thought. In point of fact, Irvine felt himself drawn to Vincent in such a way as to make him a bit uncomfortable and begin to question the intelligence behind Squall's decision to leave him to 'observe'. He was about to ask Squall to step out into the hallway so he could tell him just that when Vincent spoke again.

"That is acceptable, Squall. Indeed, I would question your idea of 'security' if you were to just blindly accept me into the routine here, as it were. I approve." _Well, maybe I could just give it a week er two b'fore callin' in a replacement_ , Irvine thought as that deep voice filled his head and played over his nerves like black velvet, and he found himself staring.

Laguna frowned over at his son, keeping his mouth closed and his opinions to himself. _Great, finally I get Vincent alone but after only one day it's ruined_. Glancing over at Irvine, the President noticed him looking at Vincent in an odd way and he lifted an eyebrow in question as he caught the cowboy's eye.

Irvine stared at Laguna and grinned slowly. When he winked slowly at the President, he was rewarded with a furious blush; however, it also earned him a glare from Vincent who had happened to notice his rather obvious attention. He gave Vincent a little air-kiss and laughed when the dark-haired man narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Not a good start, my Valentine, not a good start." And that earned him a glare from Squall. Irvine laughed again, _man this is turning out to be a pretty good day after all!_

Vincent's respect for Squall went up a notch at the conditions the young man had set. He apparently took his job very seriously and he could do nothing but approve, as he would have done the same thing. He turned to give another visual evaluation to Irvine, but stiffened when he saw the cowboy grinning rather lasciviously at Laguna. The young man had been staring rather openly at him before that, but it was attention that he was used to therefore had ignored it easily, but his rather obvious attention to Laguna made his hackles raise and he couldn't stop his glare. His grip on Laguna's hand tightened as Irvine called him 'my Valentine' yet again and he wondered if his promise to Squall was going to hold up or in fact get broken.

Kiros rose to answer a knock at the door, speaking quietly to a woman before excusing himself from the rest of the meeting and departing with a pat on the back to Laguna on the way past. As the door closed, Squall decided it was time to get the rest of the meeting over with.

"Vincent, can you tell me what job you were doing before coming here?" Squall began, leveling his eyes to study the dark haired man carefully.

Vincent flashed a quick grin at Kiros as the man walked by then gave Squall his undivided attention. "How do you mean? When I was employed or when I met Laguna?"

"Both," Squall answered flatly.

"Well," Vincent said, raising an eyebrow and settling more comfortably in his chair. "When I was younger, I worked for the Department of Administrative Research, which were known more crudely as 'Turks', for the ShinRa Electric Company. My job was precisely what this job would entail, but we were a little more… well, thuggish. We answered only to the president, gathered intelligence, performed assassinations, spied, and in effect protected our employer… with our lives if necessary. We were trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat techniques, explosives, and weaponry to which I excelled and was often used as a sniper."

"There wasn't a building we couldn't break into, and we also were trained in various infiltration techniques. All of the cadets were required to go through basic military training and if they survived that, then moved on to more specific Turk training. When I met Laguna, I was merely performing a favor for Reeve. I belong to no one. I have served Gaia, and now I am finished. I do not involve myself in the affairs of others. I have learned that the world could care less about you, and if you are truly lucky enough, you'll find someone who does. I have been unbelievably lucky. Next question?"

"Impressive resume, Mr. Valentine," Irvine said frowning, "but somethin' just ain't soundin' right t'me. Y'said you worked for the Turks when you were 'younger'. Now, ya don' look more'n, what, thirty?" He cocked his head. "How long you worked for ShinRa?"

Vincent turned his head and pinned Irvine with a level stare. "Eleven years," he said flatly.

Irvine nodded. "Yep, that's what ain't computin' with me. Yer talkin' like yer a good sight oldern' thirty."

Vincent swiveled his chair to more directly face Irvine. "Perceptive." He said quietly, "I am nearly sixty-five years old. Truthfully, I've stopped counting."

Irvine whistled, "Shooo, now that I did not see comin'." He fell silent and continued to watch Vincent expressionlessly.

When Irvine made no move to continue, Vincent swiveled his chair back around to face Squall. "And your comment?"

Squall didn't watch Irvine and Vincent's exchange, instead chosing to watch Laguna's reaction to what was said. The President couldn't keep his eyes from wandering back to his lover at every opportunity and kept grinning like a fool, obviously completely smitten with Vincent. He just hoped that Irvine would be able to work out the truth to how this new bodyguard felt towards Laguna in one month. On the surface the guy's story seemed reasonable. Well, everything but the Vincent's sixty-five years old part, anyway.

"How can you be sixty-five years old?" Squall said, finally looking at Vincent. "You look late twenties, tops."

"Twenty seven," Vincent replied mildly, ignoring Irvine. "I was twenty-seven when I died, and so I shall always remain. Long and short of it: my body was used in a series of experiments that resulted in not only its reanimation, but genetic enhancement, mako treatments and the grafting of demons into my DNA, which is why I am dangerous when pushed to my limit. My senses are sharper and my reflexes are faster. I have knowledge and experience you could only dream about."

"S'at right, now," Irvine drawled. "'Scuse me if I don't really b'lieve ya, Valentine." He shook his head, "A human experiment?"

Vincent sighed, "Yes, Kinneas, a human experiment. I do not know how familiar you are with recent Midgar events, but ultimately I was the trial and error experiment that eventually led to the elite SOLDIER program and later Deep Ground. So you can imagine my tendency toward self-loathing. I am the reason a lot of people died and Sephiroth was born. I assume you at least have heard of him?"

"Vincent, it's not your fault," Laguna interceded, cradling Vincent's hand in both of his. "You didn't ask to be an experiment. It was out of your control."

Squall watched the two interact, frowning at the memories that came flooding back every time he did. He didn't want to be thinking about Seifer right now, re-running romantic dreams that would never be. The Commander shook his head, trying to clear his mind enough to focus and find a way to escape this meeting.

Irvine noticed his friend's discomfort and grinned a little sadly. After all this time Squall was still mourning Seifer. "A'right, I think we've talked 'bout as much as we prob'ly need too 'bout this. Squally, why don't ya head back t'Garden 'n I'll keep ya posted." He turned to Laguna. "So what's on our agenda first, boss?"

"Well, how about you see off your Commander and we'll meet you back here in an hour?" Laguna asked, smiling at Irvine as he tried to cover up the fact he wanted alone time with Vincent now. Four weeks of being shadowed was going to be hell.

Squall glanced over at Irvine, nodding his thanks to the sniper as he passed an expense account card into the cowboy's hands. Collecting up his paperwork, he said a quick goodbye to Laguna and Vincent before heading for the hall, not waiting to see if Irvine would follow or not.

Grinning, Irvine briefly fingered the expense card before making it disappear and with a nod of acknowledgment to the two men, followed his friend and Commander out into the hall. His long legs easily caught up to Squall and he grabbed Squall's arm to stop the surly man's forward progress. "Ya gotta let it go, Squall. He's gone."

"I've tried!" Squall hissed back at Irvine, immediately regretting the venom in his voice. Running a hand through his hair, he breathed in deep to steady himself before trying again. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just… raw today. I'll be fine."

Irvine sighed and put his hand on Squall's shoulder and leaned in companionably. "I can't say's I know how ya feel, Squall, as I've never felt that way 'bout anyone. But I'm here for ya, if ya need t'talk t' someone. Ya may be an insufferable, pig-headed asshole, but yer my best friend and it hurts me t' see ya sufferin' like this." He caught Squall's gaze with his own. "Have ya talked t' Rinoa 'bout this at all?"

Squall scoffed, rolling his eyes at his friend. "Come on, Irvine. You know Rinoa. She talks, I listen, end of story. Wish she would just carry through on her threat to go back to her daddy," he grumbled, starting down the hallway again.

Unmoving as Squall moved off, Irvine grew serious and said softly, "He's out there, Squall…"


	7. Chapter 7

Laguna stood up as soon as the door shut, walking over to lock it before returning to stand in front of Vincent with his arms crossed and a slight frown. He honestly had no idea of how one was supposed to initiate these things.

"Vincent, you know how we're gonna be stuck with Irvine for the next month? Well, I was thinking that we should spend this last hour of freedom wisely. What do you think?" Laguna mumbled as he stared at the floor between them, blushing like a sixteen year old.

Vincent lifted an eyebrow as he looked up at Laguna, grinning slowly. "And what did you have in mind, Mr. President?"

 _Bastard... he's going to make me make the first move_. Laguna should have known that Vincent wouldn't be able to resist teasing him like this. Chewing on his lip, he looked back at the grinning face of his lover suddenly getting an idea that would wipe that smile away. "Hey Vince, what do you think about me topping?" he asked with a grin, not thinking past the shock value of the statement.

That wiped the grin right off Vincent's face. Meeting Laguna's eyes steadily he asked softly, "Is that what you want?"

"No. Just wanted to know what you thought about it," Laguna continued, moving forward to straddle his lover and take a seat in his lap. "What I want right now is you on top." He stopped with their foreheads resting together and licked his suddenly dry lips.

Vincent's hands came up to wrap around the back of Laguna's neck, his thumbs brushing the other man's cheeks and breathed, "I would give that to you… when I have given it to no other." Then he stretched up and captured Laguna's lips with his own, pressing firmly to force the shorter man's mouth to open and allow his tongue entry. When he pulled away finally, they were both panting, "My Laguna."

"Vincent… thank you," Laguna whispered, looking deep into ruby pools. He would never ask to top but it gave him a warm feeling to know that Vincent would if he wanted it. Bringing their lips together in a deeper kiss, Laguna unbuttoned Vincent's shirt slowly letting his hands wander over pale skin as it was revealed.

Letting his hands fall away, Vincent returned Laguna's kiss and allowed the man to explore his body as he wished. Groaning softly his head fell back against the chair back, exposing his throat to Laguna's velvety tongue. He enjoyed his lover's attention, indulging in just being able to feel his body being touched and caressed with such care and gentleness… something he had never felt before. "That's it, Laguna… feel me…," he gasped.

Laguna couldn't stop himself from feeling every inch of Vincent that he could reach. The more he touched, the more he needed. His lover was like a drug that he couldn't resist, that he craved for more and more every time he took a taste. The President sucked and nibbled on Vincent's neck as he began to grind his hips against him.

"Vincent… I want you to take me… hard," he mumbled into his lover's neck.

With a moan, Vincent's eyes rolled back in his head as he tipped his face to the side to allow Laguna better access to his neck. On their own, his hips began moving against Laguna's and his hands came up to fumble with the button of Laguna's pants. He jerked them open and reached inside to wrap his hand around the shorter man's fully erect member to stand it up against his belly so it just peeked out over Laguna's waistband. Next he slid his hands up under Laguna's shirt to run them over the man's toned chest. Dimly he cursed his glove and the fact that it kept him from feeling Laguna's soft skin, but he wasn't ready to reveal that nightmare to his gentle lover.

Laguna's hands went to Vincent's own waistband as the President fused their lips together in a sloppy kiss that was more pornographic than romantic. But then again, they were both nearing desperation, as Vincent was brutally reminded by his own now pounding erection. It was at that moment when something occurred to him, and with a gasp he grabbed Laguna's seeking, busy hands and held them still. "Laguna, no. I don't have any lubricant. It will hurt and I will injure you, and that is something I will never do."

"Don't care," Laguna stuttered out. "Need you now, Vin. Just use something else... anything," he begged, continuing to grind against his lover.

"Oh, Gods, Laguna," Vincent was being driven slowly mad by the languid friction against his clothed groin. He put his hands on Laguna's hips as the man slowly rubbed his way closer to orgasm. "I… I can't… hurt you…" He groaned again, chest heaving in an effort to restrain himself.

Laguna looked down at his lover and sighed in frustration. Leaning forward to lay a soft kiss to those beautiful lips he smiled.

"Okay, give me a minute and I'll find something," he said, standing up from Vincent and fixing up his pants before heading for the door. Opening it and sticking his head out, he found only one option in the hall. Irvine was standing chatting up one of the secretaries down the hall and Laguna rolled his eyes at the cowboy before finally catching his eye and waving him over. The young man approached with a grin and a tip of his hat.

"Um, Irvine… you couldn't do me a favor, could you?" Laguna started, too horny to even realize how embarrassing this should be. The cowboy nodded and Laguna continued. "I need some… um… well… lube. You don't happen to have any do you?"

Both eyebrows shot straight up at the question. "What?" he asked stupidly. "Lube? I don'…," he broke off as his eyes drifted over Laguna's shoulder to see a wealth of black hair draped over the back of one of the conference chairs and the movement of broad shoulders that would indicate heavy breathing. His mouth worked as he blinked quickly, staring at that hair, wondering what it would be like to burry his fingers into it and pull, when Laguna cleared his throat.

Irvine shook his head and trained his blue eyes back on Laguna and noticed… kiss swollen lips, flushed cheeks, dilated pupils. _Holy shit! Ol' Laguna's getting' laid!_ He thought gleefully, a slow grin spreading across his face. "We-ell, what d'ya know. 'N all this time we figger'd ya to be celibate. Who knew it'd take a pretty pair 'o eyes 'n some long black hair t' git yer blood boilin'?" He winked slowly at Laguna, which earned him a furious blush. "Hang on a sec 'n lemme see what I c'n find."

With that he sauntered back to the pretty secretary and asked, "I hate t' trouble ya again darlin', but d'you happ'n t' have any lotion I c'd borra?" As the secretary giggled and rummaged in a drawer, producing a small, full tube of lotion he tipped his hat back and gave her a flirty wink and a, "Be right back, honey." Before turning around and returning to put the tube into Laguna's slightly shaking hand. "There ya go boss, have fun…," and winked again.

But lewd as he could be, he could see how important this was to Laguna and he decided right then and there that he wouldn't let anyone interrupt these two, who very clearly needed each other. With a pang he thought of Squall, but pushed it away in favor of another grin, and motioned the President back inside the conference room with a shooing motion.

Laguna thanked the cowboy and shut the door quickly. So maybe asking him for lube wasn't the brightest idea but at least now he had what he needed. Striding back over to Vincent, he climbed back onto his lap and kissed him again before pulling back and holding up the lotion with a triumphant grin.

"No excuses now," Laguna purred.

"Good," Vincent growled and in one fluid motion rose out of the chair with Laguna's legs wrapping around his waist tightly. He walked them down to an empty portion of the table and he set Laguna back on his feet. Leaning in close he rumbled, "I'm going to fuck you so hard… you'll feel my dick in your throat." That was the end of the talking as he spun Laguna around and rather gently pushed the smaller man's chest down onto the table before opening the man's pants up and yanking them down to Laguna's ankles.

He quickly applied the lotion to two fingers and pressed them into Laguna's body, thankful that the man was already relaxed from all of their previous nights' activities. Laguna let out a small keening cry, pushing himself back onto Vincent's fingers, causing the gunman to grin ferally. "So hungry…," he murmured, and while he slowly finger fucked Laguna, he reached for his own pants and wrenched them down to mid-thigh, before squeezing out some lotion onto his cock.

Putting the tube down, he then rubbed the creamy substance all over his erection save for the broad, flared head. Just as he finished, Laguna looked over his shoulder and a made small whimpering sound that only fuelled his need to be inside of the tight heat of his lover.

"Vin…," Laguna pleaded, glancing back at his lover. Vincent's fingers where driving him insane but he knew he needed more. His lover stood, observing him and looking so damn hot that Laguna had to remind himself that this was real and not a dream. Pushing back impatiently he whimpered with need and desperation.

"Please… now, honey. I need to feel you," he begged.

Exercising all of his considerable restraint, Vincent withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his cock, groaning as he eased into Laguna's tight body. "Oh yeah… that's it… so tight…" Once he became fully sheathed, he paused for a moment before beginning to thrust. Slow and even at first, he quickly shortened up to hard and fast as his need for release drove him into a punishing rhythm. Laguna grabbed at the slick surface his chest rested on, as the sharp slaps of Vincent's thighs against his buttocks pushed him hard against the heavy wooden table. Vincent in turn, grabbed Laguna's hips and held on tight, eyelids fluttering as his balls drew up tighter against his body and a tingling pleasure shivered up his spine. _This… was good._

Back out in the hall, Irvine had lingered by the conference room door out of sheer, perverted curiosity. As the gasps and grunts had begun to turn into quiet cries and deep groans, he had felt his face heat up to a near intolerable temperature. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore, the pressure in his pants driving him away from door as much as how red his face was. He spied the secretary throwing him flirty little glances and smiling, showing off a cute set of dimples. The coupling men in the conference room forgotten, he sauntered down the hall to her desk and struck up a conversation with her again.

She was a pretty thing, and her blush just made him flirt more, as sexed up as he was from listening to Laguna and Vincent in that conference room. So it was understandable that he was completely oblivious to Kiros having returned to retrieve his planner from where he had left it on the table. He looked up, saw the darker man, then looked back at the secretary only to whip his head back up just as Kiros frowned at the locked door, put his key into the lock….

"Aw, shit!" Irvine spat and without a look back at his 'company', clamped a hand down on his hat and bolted down the hall for Kiros just as the man turned the lock and pushed open the door. "Kiros, wait now!"

But it was too late. Irvine came skidding to a halt just as Kiros' jaw dropped and they both stared as Vincent mounted Laguna with such vigor that both men felt their pants suddenly constrict in reaction.

It took a moment for Laguna to realize that they were being observed, Vincent of course had heard the key in the lock but was completely unable to stop, so captured by his lover was he. But he knew when Laguna realized that they were not alone because the man suddenly clamped down hard on his dick. In a grunt of surprise and pain, Vincent fell forward to completely hide Laguna's smaller body with his own. His obsidian hair had fallen forward in a black curtain as he panted into the President's ear, holding perfectly still so as not to cause himself more pain. "Laguna, if you wish me to… ngh… finish this… ah!… later then you must relax."

He could feel Laguna begin to tremble in embarrassment, and he felt a sudden protectiveness and he murmured gently, "My love, no one can see you. They only see me, please, I need you to relax… this is… rather painful." Finally he felt Laguna ease up on his body and, careful to remain over the President, he withdrew from Laguna's body and with a tiny moan the smaller man slid to the floor at his feet to hide behind the solid and wide leg of the table.

Vincent felt such warmth for Laguna at that moment that it defused the angry irritation at being interrupted instantly. Standing up straight and facing the men head on he calmly resituated his erect penis back into his leathers, raised an eyebrow and asked softly, "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

Kiros could do nothing but stare like a mute fool. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but the only thing that came out was a strange squeaking sound. That was one of the hottest things he had ever seen and having his best friend as one of the participants left him frozen in a confusion of mixed emotions.

Kiros had never thought of Laguna in that context before but now he didn't know how he was going to look at him again without seeing him bent over the conference table being hammered by Vincent. Deep down he felt disappointment in the fact the two had stopped as he realized that he would have liked to see more. This only upped his embarrassment to an excessive level that made the whole situation unbearable. Turning on his heel, Kiros fled the room without replying to Vincent, brushing past Irvine with his head down.

When Vincent turned his head to stare him down, Irvine loudly cleared his throat several times before he managed to stammer, rather hoarsely, "Ah… I'll jus' be out here, waitin', wheneva yer done… jus'… jus' take yer time." Then he very carefully closed the door and planted himself in front of it. Drawing a shaky breath, he shut his eyes, but try as he might he could not get the image of Vincent and Laguna rutting out of his mind, of Laguna's open and gasping mouth as his body jerked forward with each thrust of Vincent's hips, the way Vincent's hair had fallen forward to obscure half of his beautiful face, and those red eyes. Irvine shuddered; those red eyes were going to haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

Then there was Vincent's cock, Irvine groaned, that thing had been huge, and judging by the expression on Laguna's face, Valentine knew how to use it. Irvine groaned again. This was going to be a very long month.

Laguna sat on the floor with his pants around his ankles and his hands over his face. Kiros had seen them. He would never, ever live down the embarrassment of his best friend seeing that. Just thinking about how he would have looked to Kiros made him flinch with shame. From his position on the floor behind the table he saw his best friend's feet turn and leave the room without a word and he bit his lip hard.

Hearing Irvine speak left him numb. He hadn't even seen his son's friend, his eyes only focusing on Kiros. Irvine would tell Squall about this and what little progress he'd made with his son would be lost. Just thinking about how his son would react to what he'd been doing in the conference room made tears begin to build. Closing his eyes, he pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, resting his face on his kneecaps as he heard the door click shut once more.

Vincent could sense Irvine on the other side of the door, could smell the young man's arousal and the corner of his lips turned up. But it was his lover's huddled body that drew both his attention and his heart. Kneeling down in front of Laguna, he gently grabbed the smaller man's upper arms and drew him to his feet, "Come, stand up now." After Laguna was on his feet, he dropped to his knees and carefully pulled up his lover's pants and re-fastened them. When that was done he wrapped Laguna in his arms and murmured, "What is it, Laguna?"

He tipped Laguna's chin up so he could stare into Laguna's ivy-colored eyes, even as the other steadfastly refused to look at him. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a man, with needs, as am I. There are worse people, I am sure, who could have caught us and this is the risk you run when you have sex in public places… even semi-public. Please, won't you tell me what troubles you so greatly that you will not even look at me?"

Laguna didn't want to talk about it, didn't even want to think about it. His thoughts were spinning and his emotions too raw. Laguna needed to be alone to calm down but Vincent was holding on to him and asking for a response that he couldn't formulate. Gently pushing back from his lover, he settled his eyes on the chest before him, not able to hold Vincent's eyes.

"I... um... I need a moment," he stuttered out, backing away only to have his leg cramp up, making him wince in pain as he bent to rub it. When Vincent stepped towards him, he held up a hand and hobbled back towards the door. "Please just give me some time to process this, okay?" he murmured. Opening the door, he limped out and past Irvine, heading down the hall. As he entered the elevator he looked up to see Vincent stepping out of the conference room and their eyes met just before the doors slid closed.

It hurt that Laguna couldn't talk to him, but realistically their relationship was too new for that level or communication yet. At this point they were only fuck-buddies who liked to cuddle. Vincent winced, _how elegant, Valentine, it's no wonder he won't talk to you, you're a beast!_ But there was something that he could do. He stood next to Irvine and crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Laguna walked down the hall and got on the elevator. Their eyes met and he hoped how he felt was somehow transmitted to the other. When the doors slid closed, he sighed but remained silent and Irvine, to his credit, got the message.

"Well," the young man said softly. "I see it this way, my month still hasn't started yet, so I figure I didn't see a thing."

"It seems I have misjudged your intelligence, Mr. Kinneas," Vincent said quietly, finally turning to appraise the man at his side, and your appearance, remained unsaid. "Will Laguna be all right on his own in the Palace?"

"Oh I reckon," Irvine was still looking at the closed doors of the elevator and mirroring Vincent's crossed-arm pose. "He's been trompin' 'round without a guard fer too many years, 'n the palace is safe enough."

"No place is safe enough," Vincent murmured. "I take no risks with him. I have waited too long to find Laguna, and I would level this place if something were to happen to him." He was already feeling uncomfortable with the thought of Laguna being alone but he forced himself to just accept it, and try and relax. "Well, since this is more my evaluation than Laguna's, I gather you shall want a demonstration of my use of a firearm?"

Irvine looked down, pushing his hat back on his head. "It's a bit sudden Mr. Valentine." He looked up at Vincent and felt his throat close and his groin get tight as he met that ruby gaze. _Fuck me, but he's beautiful_ , Irvine thought and just managed to stop himself from staring over-long. "But, uh… we c'n go t' the range if ya like." He wasn't going to lie; he did want to see just what Vincent could do.

Vincent nodded. "All right then." He gestured for Irvine to go first, "as I do not know where I am going…" Irvine laughed cheerfully and headed off down the hall, and he found himself grinning and thinking, _I could get used to this young man, not only is he easy on the eyes, but he somehow makes things… lighter. I believe I may enjoy this month._

Fortunately their journey took them past the secretary who looked at Vincent out of enormous, awed eyes. He stopped and said softly, "Should the President return seeking me, could you please inform him that we have moved to the target range?" At the secretary's quick nod, he gave a small smile and fell in behind the tall cowboy once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Laguna stepped out into the courtyard and breathed deeply. The various smells of the private garden calmed his nerves as he wandered past the fountain and continued into the grove of trees at the far side of the allotment. This was where he always came to get his head together when life became too much and his favorite spot was a little bench hidden amongst the thick branches where nobody could see him. It was the only place in the whole of Esthar where he was never disturbed by anyone, except for Kiros, and he really didn't think that his friend would be looking for him at this point.

Sinking down on the bench, he leaned back and stared at the crystal blue sky through the tree tops, watching a few fluffy white clouds roll by. What in Hades was happening to him? His whole life he'd only ever had sex in a bedroom behind a locked door and he had no idea why he'd felt the need to jump Vincent in the conference room. It was hardly acceptable behavior for a man of his age and position and he was mortified that they'd been caught.

Sighing and closing his eyes, his thoughts drifted to Vincent as he remembered the hurt on his lover's face as the elevator doors had closed. Laguna realized he should have given the young man a better explanation but humiliation made the urge to run too strong to deny. Thanks to his newly awakened libido, he'd not only hurt Vincent but he'd given Kiros and Irvine an eyeful as well.

_Wonderful..._

Laguna could only groan in horror at the thought of how Squall was going to react to the news that his father was being pounded on the table that they'd all been sitting around only minutes before.

"Laguna?" a voice called softly, jolting him out of his thoughts as he spun his head around to find Kiros standing next to him, still staring at the ground. Great, his best friend was going to spend the rest of their lives avoiding eye contact as well… just perfect.

"Kiros, I'm so sorry you had to see that. I never meant…," Laguna trailed off as words failed him.

"You never meant for me to barge in like a fool?" Kiros said with a chuckle. "I'm the one who should apologize. After all, the door was locked." Laguna frowned at his friend who was still studying his shoes intently.

"If that's the case, why won't you look at me?" Laguna asked. Kiros flinched at the question and began fidgeting with one of his braids.

"Well…ah…," Kiros fumbled as he tried desperately to form words in his head. He'd had the perfect response all planned out but it had fled the moment he'd laid eyes on Laguna with his neck arched back so invitingly and his eyes closed. _Fuck, get it together man_ , Kiros scolded himself as he took a deep breath. Finally, he dragged his eyes up to look into Laguna's and held his gaze. "Look, I just came out here to make sure you were okay."

"Well my pride and self respect are DOA but the rest of me will survive," the President muttered, trying to ignore the strange way Kiros was looking at him.

"You want me to talk to Irvine? I think he would be willing to keep this to himself. After all, it serves no purpose in his investigation and it would only piss Squall off," Kiros asked, as he tried to think unsexy thoughts. His brain wasn't co-operating as it kept replaying the earlier incident in glorious Technicolor in his head.

"You think he would?" Laguna murmured, hope filling his eyes at the possible solution.

"I don't see why not. Irvine seems to be a reasonable young man," Kiros replied as his eyes drifted down to his friend's pink lips. He remembered how those lips had looked when Vincent was thrusting into Laguna's body. Without realizing it, one hand snuck up and cupped the President's cheek as his thumb gently ran along Laguna's bottom lip.

"K… Kiros?" Laguna stuttered out, snapping the other man out of his trance. Kiros pulled his arm back as if he'd been stung and looked back into confused green eyes.

"I should go," he whispered, turning and walking away through the trees to leave a stunned Laguna staring after him.

**.**

Meanwhile back at the Palace's target range, Irvine was looking at Vincent in disbelief, "Now, what d'ya mean ya need a weapon? Ya got one right there on yer hip."

Vincent was leaning said hip against one of the partitions, looking at Irvine with a brow raised and little grin on his sinful lips. "Because Cerberus is a large caliber, battle-ready weapon. If you want the target reduced to powder I would be glad to use her. But as it is, I would much prefer a smaller caliber weapon for this. Now do you, or do you not have one?"

Irvine huffed and glared at Vincent, which only made the man's grin widen. Finally he conceded and reached behind him to the waistband under his duster and withdrew a small handgun. He gripped the barrel carefully and passed it to Vincent butt-first after first making sure the safety was on.

Nodding in approval, which only made Irvine grit his teeth, Vincent made quick work of examining the sidearm, checking the clip, the barrel, heft and sight. Irvine could only grudgingly acknowledge an upward nudge in his respect for the dark-haired, self-proclaimed gunman. Vincent knew his way around firearms. Leaning back against the far wall and giving Vincent the room he needed, Irvine watched carefully as the ex-Turk ran the paper target out as far as it would go, which in the sniper's mind was pretty damned far. _He's either seriously confident in his abilities, or he's just tryin' to impress me on purpose_ , Irvine thought, not at all believing the second half of that for a second.

Taking a moment, Vincent turned to the side and studied the target, gauging its distance. His enhanced vision easily focused in upon the center of the target. He raised his borrowed sidearm, approving of it's balance, and took a second to sight along the barrel, then quickly squeezed of six shots in an even rhythm of 'pops'. Without hesitating he ran the target in. Six shots, one hole, dead center; really, target range shooting was just too easy. He turned around and just caught Irvine closing his mouth with a snap, his eyes as large around as saucers. Vincent smirked; really this young man was very nearly charming. "I take it you approve then?"

Shaking his head and blinking, Irvine reluctantly tore his eyes off of the target. _This guy is good_ , he thought. The distance to that target was nearly one that would require a scope! But something did strike him as a little odd though. "I sure do, Mr. Valentine, I sure do. But I have t'wonder why you only shoot one-handed. Usually people need to steady their weapon with th' other hand."

Vincent nodded, "A valid question, Mr. Kinneas." He held up his gauntleted hand and said, "This hand and arm suffered tremendous trauma and the damage is permanent. I cannot adequately grip any weapon with my left hand. Instead I use a modified gauntlet, for hand-to-hand, but mostly defense." He handed Irvine's weapon back in the same fashion he had been given it, and then withdrew Cerberus, grinning as Irvine's eyes widened even further.

"That is quite a piece," Irvine breathed appreciatively, staring at the intricate tri-barreled pistol, "may I?" He held out his hand. Vincent nodded and carefully placed Cerberus into his hand. Irvine gasped at the weapon's sheer weight. He looked up at Vincent again in stunned disbelief. "An' ya wield this one-handed?"

Vincent nodded and took Cerberus back when Irvine held it out. "I do. My strength is enhanced, so its weight is nothing more to me than that handgun is to you."

Irvine nodded and chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. He would really like to pick Vincent's brain about just what it was that he had done as a 'Turk', but instead asked, "Then I suppose movin' targets'r not a problem for ya, then."

Vincent only grinned.

***.***

To say Laguna was stunned would be an understatement. The last twenty-four hours had been one surprise after the next and it was just too much for the usually calm President. Not long after Kiros left him in the garden, Laguna went looking for Vincent even though he was still not sure what he would say to his lover. He just wanted to be in Vincent's arms again and wipe everything else away.

Laguna made his way to the target range after the secretary told him that's where Vincent and Irvine had gone. Upon entering, he saw both men immediately but something held him back. Standing where he couldn't be seen, he simply observed the two together as they talked. Both where absorbed in a conversation about their weapons and Laguna watched as Vincent passed his gun over to Irvine who handled it with reverence. He tried to talk himself into approaching but again found himself unable to do so.

Turning and leaving, Laguna headed for his room. A numbness had settled over him, leaving him feeling like he was walking through a dream and none of this was real. The fact that it was the middle of the day didn't stop him from discarding his clothes and crawling into his bed. The scent of his lover clung to the bedding and calmed his racing mind as he drifted off to sleep.

***.***

Back now at the Palace's training room for SeeDs when they visited the Capital of Esthar, Irvine was once again transfixed. Only this time he was staring at a bank of monitors for cameras that were positioned at different angles to watch the room's occupants. _This man is amazing_ , he thought as he watched Vincent leap effortlessly up into the branches of a tree to avoid poison spit. He saw the flash from the man's awesome weapon, and the Bug splattered into gooey, gory chunks. Lithe as a jungle cat, Vincent dropped back to the floor in a crouch, gun cocked up and ready for the next attack. _He's a fuckin' machine_ , Irvine thought, leaning forward onto his arms, completely unable to look away.

Though not a particularly difficult set of challenges, Vincent found the monsters of the training room to be at least entertaining. When Irvine had asked him about moving targets he had only smiled, and when the young mad had suggested the training room, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Opening Cerberus, he checked his ammunition levels, reloaded where it was needed, then closed the weapon once more. Suddenly there was a booming 'thud' and the ground under his feet shook. Straightening up, he slowly turned around and came face to face with an enormous monster the likes of which he had never seen before. _Well now_ , he thought, _this could get interesting._

Irvine's heart nearly stopped as the T-Rexaur loomed over Vincent. Aw shit! He thought getting out his own heavy-caliber firearm, ready to run in as support. These beasts were notoriously hard to kill if you were not equipped with the right magic. He hesitated though, when he saw Vincent calmly step in front of the great red and orange lizard.

Leveling Cerberus and aiming for the creature's head, Vincent fired off an exploratory shot. The monster didn't even flinch. Hn, he thought, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. A challenge at last. What ensued was nothing short of a lethal dance. Vincent would leap to different positions, firing at multiple places on the creature's body as he looked for a weak spot to exploit, while in return the T-Rexaur would lash out at him. The Rex was slow in its attacks but unpredictable with where and what it would attack with. Vincent studied the beat's movements and slowly began to feel confident that it could be killed.

As his confidence grew, his attention slipped a little, and he caught a rather unpleasant head-butt from the T-Rexaur that was going to leave a rather nasty bruise. In retaliation, he rolled under the Rex and fired upwards into the soft, unprotected flesh of the creature's throat. Ah-hah! He thought triumphantly as he saw the beast shudder and growl. He could feel the demons roiling inside of him, wanting out, wanting to fight, and as he leapt out from under the T-Rexaur, they were given just the opportunity they had been looking for as the beast's tail made a shattering impact with his body.

With a surprised 'oof', he was sent flying into a thick tree trunk, causing the sturdy wood to crack. As he slid to the ground he felt that surge of power that told him he had reached his limit and a transformation was imminent. As his awareness slid back from his consciousness, he was dimly aware of Galian shooting to the surface as his body began to bend and stretch, his bones elongating painfully as muscles tore and reformed into the massive creature that was the Galian Beast. It was as though he was watching it all from a great distance as the Galian Beast threw its arms wide and roared a challenge at the T-Rexaur. Easily a third of the size of the Rex, Galian threw itself at the monster, all teeth, horns and claws.

What the fuck is that? Irvine thought, gaping at the monitors as a massive purple-skinned, white-haired creature stood where Vincent had been. Is that what Vincent was talkin' about when he said 'demons'? Irvine watched as this new "Vincent" tore into the Rex with hell-borne fury.

Vincent continued to 'watch' as Galian leapt upon the T-Rexaur's back and wrapped its thick arms around the giant lizard's neck to grasp the powerful jaws. With a horrendous wrench and a sickening crack, Galian forced the Rex's jaws open wide enough to snap the hinge. Jaws now gaping uselessly, the T-Rexaur roared in pain and fury as Galian leapt off of its back to land facing it. Bringing its massive clawed fist back, Galian put all of its strength behind it as it punched through the massive chest cavity of the Rex, dropping the great lizard instantly. Energy spent, Galian's awareness retreated and Vincent once again came forward as his body shrunk back into its normal form.

Slumping onto the ground in exhaustion, he was only dimly aware of the doors sliding open and running feet quickly coming closer to him.

"What th' fuck was that?" Irvine said kneeling in front of him. "Vincent? Y'all right?"

Vincent weakly pushed Irvine's hands away from him. "Fine," he mumbled. "Just tired. Was the Galian Beast. Need to rest."

"I'll say y'do. C'mon." Irvine got Vincent's arm over his shoulder and heaved the slightly larger man to his feet. He chuckled, "That there noggin' kong's gonna leave a helluva bruise m'friend."

Vincent grinned. "It will be gone in the morning, I assure you."

"Quick healer?"

"You might say that." Vincent was feeling a little steadier on his feet and he gently removed his arm from around Irvine's shoulder. "Thank you. If you have no further need of me, I believe I shall retire to…rest."

"Naw, y'go right on ahead. I figure our little evaluation session'll start tomorra anyway, but I'll make note of what I've seen here. Quite impressive. I'll meet ya at the President's quarters in the mornin'. Ya gonna be able t'find yer way back all right?" Irvine asked cocking his head and peering at Vincent from under his hat, blue eyes sparkling cheerfully.

"Yes, I believe I will," Vincent said rubbing one arm. "And Mr. Kinneas…thank you for your discretion."

Irvine touched his hat in acknowledgment. "Aw, Mr. Valentine, don't ya think we're a bit beyond formalities now? Call me Irvine."

Vincent laughed outright. "Quite right, Mr. Kin…Irvine, quite right. And by all means, please call me Vincent."

Irvine barely repressed a shiver at that incredible voice saying his name, and he held out his hand. "Well met, Vincent."

Vincent clasped Irvine's hand in a firm and steady grip, their eyes meeting. "Well met, indeed."

They parted with mutual smiles, and Vincent headed back to Laguna's quarters where he slipped in and found Laguna sound asleep in the enormous bed. Grinning he removed his shirt and eased down next to his lover, kissing the man's bare shoulder as Laguna stirred and rolled onto his back to blink sleepily at him. "Hi," Vincent murmured softly, reaching up to gently and playfully tug on an errant lock of Laguna's hair.

"Mmm…sorry about earlier," Laguna mumbled, still mostly asleep. He looked at his lover, remembering how he'd deserted Vincent in the conference room. "I shouldn't of just left you there without an explanation. It was a selfish thing for me to do."

Suddenly, Laguna remembered the cowboy and frowned as panic crept back over him. He had no idea if Kiros was still going to talk to the boy after the weird little incident in the garden which meant he was going to have to handle it himself. "Damn, I gotta get up. Have to talk to Irvine and somehow convince him not to tell Squall," he muttered, wiping his eyes and trying to make his body sit up.

Vincent placed a firm hand on Laguna's shoulder and pushed him back down. Laguna looked up at him, confusion written quite plainly upon his features. "I have already spoken with Irvine and he agrees that our private business has no place in any reports that he has to make, both written and verbal. I also believe that he shall be most discreet. But Laguna…," he trailed off and clasped the other man's chin between his thumb and forefinger to make Laguna meet his eyes. "It is I who should apologize. I did not take your reputation into account, and I should have stopped. I…" He shook his head, momentarily lost for words.

"What are you talking about, Vincent? It was me who was on your lap, if you remember. It was also me that got the lube off Irvine," Laguna mumbled, frowning at his own words. "Fuck, what is wrong with me? I asked my son's best friend for lube. And then Kiros…. Am I that screwed up?" He tried to pull his face away from Vincent's but his lover held him firmly. "This is what happens when you get involved with a crazy old man, Vincent."

Rumbling a chuckle, Vincent leaned forward and gently kissed Laguna. "Oh I wouldn't call you screwed up. Well…," he paused thoughtfully, "…you are sleeping with a lab rat, so maybe you might be a bit, off." He winked at Laguna's indignant expression. "And I'd like to think that I've cornered the market in the 'crazy old man department', or have you forgotten that I'm twenty years older than you?"

Laguna tried to stay angry at himself… he really did. Looking into Vincent's eyes made it impossible though as lower regions of his body refused to co-operate. Trying to ignore his hormones he reached a hand up to move a lock of hair away from Vincent's face.

"How am I suppose to remember that when you're so beautiful," he whispered.

Before he could stop himself, Vincent flinched away from Laguna's hand when it bushed lightly against the admirable bump and bruise on his forehead. In a quick recovery he took Laguna's hand in his own and brought it to his lips, sucking on first one finger, then a second as he murmured huskily, "A man's beauty is not judged by his face, but by his actions, and his heart." Vincent kissed Laguna's palm. "My beauty is a lie, but you, Laguna, are the most beautiful person I have even seen."

"We may have to agree….to disagree on that point," Laguna stuttered out, his eyes locked onto his lover's lips. The sensation of his fingers disappearing into Vincent's mouth had caused his cock to fully awaken and he whimpered helplessly at the ache it caused. His eyes flicked back up to his lovers' and it was only then that he noticed the edge of a bruise peeking out from under Vincent's red headscarf. "Are you h…hurt?" Laguna stuttered out, his eyes going wide. "What the hell happened?"

"What, this?" Vincent gestured at his forehead then waved his hand dismissively. "I was playing in the Palace training room and had a rather unfortunate run-in with an extremely large purple and orange two-legged lizard. The son-of-a-bitch packs one hell of a head butt, but it will be gone in the morning. I was also pushed to my limit and transformed into the Galian Beast." He rolled over onto his back, put his arms behind his head and sighed, closing his eyes. "Big day…."

Laguna sat up, looking over Vincent for any other signs of damage. "You what?" he sputtered. "What were you doing in the training room? You could have been seriously hurt! Do you need to see a doctor? You transformed into what?" he rambled as his hands swept over Vincent to check for injuries.

Vincent laughed and caught Laguna's hands, stopping their frantic search. He brought them up to his mouth and kissed them. "Relax. I heal quickly and nothing in that training room posed a threat. I don't die so easily." He pushed Laguna over onto his back, pleased to see that the man was well on his way to a full hard-on. With a contented sigh he laid his head on Laguna's belly, his hand finding Laguna's cock and beginning to lazily squeeze and stroke it. He was only dimly aware of the full body shudder from the man under him.

He sighed again, sending his breath over Laguna erection, resulting in a pearly drop forming at the tip. Vincent smiled lazily, giving two quick, hard jerks of his hand before removing it to trace a forefinger lightly over the newly weeping head. He shut his eyes and therefore missed the cock-twitch. "You know, Laguna, I was thinking…what do you think about creating a sort of mini-Garden here at the Palace? That way SeeDs could come and go and there-." He jerked when he felt something warm and wet splatter onto his face. What? He sat up and looked down at Laguna in surprise. He brought his hand up and swiped it across his face. When he brought it away he saw it was covered in semen.

His lips twitched. "Hair trigger there, lover?"

Laguna's heart was pounding in his ears and his eyes were wide in shock as he gaped at Vincent. He'd not only come far too quickly but had also managed to do so across his lover's face. Oh Hyne, he thought, sure he'd die from embarrassment.

"F… fuck, I…uh," he stuttered out, his face burning as he tried to catch his breath. No, not this. Not after everything else that had happened today. Grabbing a pillow he pressed it into his face and whimpered pathetically as he prayed for this whole day to be one twisted nightmare instead of the humiliating reality it was.

Vincent was torn between chuckles and pity. He settled for the middle ground. Laughing softly he whipped his face on a far corner of exposed sheet then leaned back down to gently remove the pillow from Laguna's face. The poor man's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his face was so red he was literally throwing off heat. Vincent placed a comparably cooler hand against one smooth cheek and kissed Laguna's forehead before murmuring into his lover's ear, "I'll tell you a secret… you are not the first man to come on my face, and I'm sure it will happen again. In point of fact, I plan on it." He leaned back and brushed his lips over Laguna's. "Now won't you open your eyes?"

At Laguna's furious shake of his head, Vincent sighed and lay on his side next to the smaller man, settled into the pillows and draped his arm across Laguna's waist. "Well, then I shall wait here until you do. Did I ever mention that I like this mattress?"

"I'm sorry," Laguna whispered, his eyes still closed as he battled with his embarrassment. The image of Vincent's face streaked with his seed flashed into his mind and his cock twitched again in interest. He opened his eyes to escape the mental picture, cursing his own libido for the hundredth time that day. Gods, he thought in frustration. He had never been this constantly horny before in his life. "I don't know what's wrong with me today," he muttered, turning to look apologetically at amused ruby eyes. Oh yeah, that's what wrong with me, he thought to himself as he drank in the beauty beside him. He should have realized that being with someone this attractive would have to have a downside.

Vincent frowned slightly when he saw Laguna's face. The man didn't look very… happy. Abruptly he grew nervous as he hesitantly reached out to touch Laguna, but stopped just before he could. "Do I… do I really make you that uncomfortable? Laguna, I do not wish to be a burden, if you would like me to leave you alone I can find other quarters…." Just don't send me away…I don't…I don't think I could bear that.

Laguna frowned in confusion at Vincent's words. "What?" he blurted out, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. Suddenly, he realized what was going on. "Damn it, Vincent! You don't make me uncomfortable. You just make me horny, you idiot," he said, smiling as he leaned over to kiss his lover tenderly. "I'm just not used to being turned on twenty-four hours a day. Makes me act like more of a fool than usual."

"Well that makes two of us then," Vincent replied reaching his arms up to encircle Laguna and bring the man down onto him for a lazy, open-mouthed and lingering kiss. When he finally pulled back he said hungrily, "And here I thought you liked me for my brains." He sighed dramatically – and a little relieved – and tried to pout. "So all I am is a pretty face to you?" While Laguna looked at him with a mixture of reproach and incredulity, Vincent began to sneak his hands down to cup Laguna's buttocks, gradually easing two fingers into the smaller man's relaxed opening.

Laguna was just about to make a witty reply when something entering his nether regions cut off all power to his brain, making him squeak in surprise. As Vincent's fingers pushed deeper he whimpered, moving his knees underneath himself and closing his eyes as he pushed back, surprised to find that there was no resistance. Then he remembered the conference room and Vincent pounding him into the table. Biting his lip to stifle a moan he continued to rock back and forth on the fingers, lost in sensation and memory. Laguna was so caught up that he forgot to be embarrassed, forgot to worry about how he looked as he impaled himself and tried to make the fingers go deeper.

Breath sticking in his throat, Vincent watched Laguna work himself against his fingers. He curled those fingers as Laguna pushed back and was rewarded with a little jump and moan from his lover that shot straight to his groin and stayed there. With a growl he pulled his fingers away and shot up to push Laguna down onto his stomach while his hands went to the waistband of his pants. He quickly freed his now painfully hard erection and fell back down across Laguna's back using a hand and a knee to part the smaller man's thighs. Gripping his cock he positioned himself and pushed roughly inside Laguna's tight heat where he began to thrust, each shove driving Laguna down into the mattress.

As his hips continued their merciless thrusts, the hand not holding him up, moved to wrap around Laguna's throat and jaw, lifting his lover's head up from where he had had it buried in the pillows. Vincent licked and nipped any and all available skin as he growled, "You…drive me wild… Y-you leave th-the gentleman…ngh!…to t-tempt th'…ooohhhh fuck!…tempt the beast…" And then he bit Laguna, at the juncture of neck and shoulder as he bucked harder against the smaller, stockier body under him, until both men were reduced to hoarse, barked cries and ragged gasps.

The sting of the bite surprised Laguna, but not in the way he had expected. It made his eyes roll back in his head in a wave of intense pleasure that brought him to the edge of orgasm instantly.

"V..vin," he gasped, his hands gripping the sheets so hard that the material began to rip under the abuse. "Again…uhh… b… bite me," he whined between breaths.

With a groan, Vincent's thrusts turned jerky and brutal as he neared his release. Yet he still managed to slowly lick up Laguna's neck, then down and along the other man's broad shoulders as he pulled Laguna's hair to the side. Finally he nuzzled the other side of his lover's neck, his breath falling hot and moist as he slowly licked circles over the heated flesh. With one particularly deep thrust he held his position, deep within Laguna and shifted his body so he could raise his lover's hips off of the mattress a fraction, nudging the man's legs wider apart.

At last he finished his trip up an electric staircase of blinding pleasure as he fucked Laguna to completion. As his muscles tensed and his balls drew tight against his body, he pushed into Laguna once, twice, three times and upon the fourth he bit down hard on Laguna's neck as he released his seed into his lover's shuddering body.

Laguna came the moment he felt that delicious pain, writhing beneath his lover as all his senses overloaded into bliss. The next conscious thought that entered his mind was pure love for the beautiful man that lay on top of him as they both fought for breath.

"Gods, I love you," he muttered, too completely sated to care if Vincent returned his affections at that point. Remembering his lover's last reaction to his declaration, he added, "And you don't have to say it back. Just don't leave me."

"I won't leave you, Laguna," Vincent murmured pulling out of his lover's body and sinking down to lie on his back. He easily pulled Laguna's limp body up against him to rest upon his chest and he kissed the smaller man's forehead. "I can't leave you… I need you too much." The words were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't say them because he didn't trust them. He didn't know what he felt, only that in the presence of his man he felt a peace that he had never known existed.

Vincent felt hope that he had an actual chance at a new life; where his past was only to be taken at his word, and what was done to his body could be shuttered off into a carefully guarded, dirty little secret known only by a trusted few. After all, he knew secrets… he knew them well, having dwelt amongst them for most of his life. But what struck him as the most frightening, was that if something were to happen to Laguna, it would utterly destroy him.


	9. Chapter 9

Laguna stood gazing out the window, looking over the celebrations that were in full swing in the city of Esthar. Today was a holiday marking the five year anniversary of the defeat of Ultimecia and the whole city stopped to celebrate the event. The streets where usually empty at this time of the evening but tonight they were full of people, various stalls and even carnival rides. He soaked in the atmosphere from a distance wishing that he could be down there with his people, laughing and surrounded by family and friends. Instead he was stuck up here, like some princess trapped in a tower.

He'd spend tonight with a bunch of politicians and so called important people, dinning on first class cuisine and ridiculously expensive wine that tasted like crap. Sighing, he went over his speech one last time in his head as his usual fit of nervousness swept over him. Laguna calmed himself by thinking of Vincent who would be beside him the whole evening as his bodyguard. The beautiful young man was the only person he really wanted to be with tonight anyway. Smiling, he checked his suit one last time as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," he called, expecting Kiros with his usual last minute fussing. They had never spoken about that day in the conference room again and Laguna had never had the balls to bring up the moment in the garden either. Instead they'd both just pretended the events of that day never happened. He needed his friend too much to let… well, whatever that was get in the way.

He was surprised when he turned towards the door to find Irvine in full SeeD formal smiling at him cheekily. The cowboy had been with them for three weeks now and instead of looking forward to his departure in a weeks' time, Laguna found himself a little sad that the young man would be going. He'd grown rather fond of him and it was nice to have somebody that both he and Vincent got along so well with in the Palace. The fact the cowboy happened to be so attractive was an added bonus. Well, there was no harm in looking, was there?

"You 'bout ready there, Pops?" Irvine said with a coy little wink, and was rewarded with a small blush from the shorter man. He had grown quite fond of Laguna in the three weeks he had spent with the two men, and in fact had grown more than a little protective of him. Why, what just felt like the other day he had overheard two groundskeepers snickering at Laguna as they talked about the small address to the Palace employees he had given. Mid-way through the poor man had forgotten what he was talking about, and had stuttered and blushed so deeply that Irvine had begun blushing in sympathy! It was then that Vincent had calmly stepped in between Laguna and the gathered employees, murmured something in the President's ear, and had stayed there long enough for Laguna to calm down.

When the dark-haired gunman had finally moved, Laguna was calm and composed, causing a serious spike in Irvine's respect for the man. So when he heard those two groundskeepers, he had come as close to totally snapping as he ever had in his laid-back life. He had flat-out cold-cocked the one doing the talking, and the other had wet himself under his withering stare, and then he had given them both such a dressing-down that now whenever they saw either him or Laguna, they were nothing but respectful. Now he was staring at Laguna with barely concealed appreciation, dressed in his impeccable suit.

Irvine couldn't resist a little gentle teasing. Striding up to Laguna, he looked down at the President with a grin as he tugged, straightened and finally finished by flicking imaginary dust off of the man's shoulders saying, "Hot damn, would ya lookit' you! Regular ladykiller! Ah, but then…," he paused and winked again, suggestively, "Yer not interested in th' ladies anymore are ya?"

Laguna tried to glare at the cheeky young man but failed as his blush darkened. "You may be bigger than me Irvine, but you're still young enough for me to put you over my knee and spank you," he replied with a grin.

"Would'ja now?" Irvine said, quirking an eyebrow. "Careful what ya wish for hot stuff. I might jus' let'cha." He gently pinched Laguna's chin and leaned down next to the man's ear. "In fact, I'll prob'ly enjoy it." He straightened up before Laguna could become too uncomfortable and turning, he walked towards the large window and looked out and down at the festivities. He sighed wistfully. "Wish I was down there. Too much fun t'be had, 'n me not bein' there t'have it."

Taking in a deep breath, Laguna mentally slapped himself for even thinking he could win a war of words with the cowboy who could fluster him without even trying. He watched Irvine at the window as an image of Vincent spanking Irvine flittered across his mind. Fuck… that was… interesting. Shelving that thought for later, he reminded himself of the speech he was about to give which effectively killed the badly timed swell of desire.

"I have to agree with you, Irvine. Duty can be a complete pain in the ass, if you'll pardon my expression," he said, walking up to stand beside the cowboy. "How's Vincent? I haven't seen him for hours…," his words trailed off as he though of his lover. He just didn't feel right without that calming presence beside him.

"Aw he's jus' natterin' on 'bout how much he hates suits," Irvine replied, grin returning. "Somethin' 'bout how it'd been decades since he's last worn one." He shook his head. "He's really somethin' Laguna." He crossed his arms over his broad chest and murmured, "One o' these days you'll have'ta lemme know just how ya managed t' land 'im."

Laguna chuckled, knowing full well how much his lover hated wearing formal attire. "Honestly, he landed me. I'm still trying to work out why," he said smiling at the memory of that day. "Must have been my lucky day."

Irvine threw his head back and laughed merrily. "Well shit Laguna, then he's th lucky one!" He cocked his head to peer at the shorter man. "I mean, c'mon… jus' look at'cha! What's not t'like? Hell, if only I could be half as lucky as Vince." He chuckled to himself and mentally cautioned to restrain his tongue a bit better, lest his secret desires become a little less secret.

Blushing at what he was sure was just teasing from the young man beside him, Laguna turned away and changed the subject. "Well, I suppose I've spent long enough putting this off. Time to face the music and hopefully not make a complete ass out of myself," he muttered, walking slowly towards the door. "Any special instructions from my paranoid security team?"

Irvine followed him towards the door. Catching up easily he gently grabbed Laguna's elbow. "It ain't paranoia, Pops, its protection. I'm sure it'll be fine, but in th' event somethin' does go down, you do exactly what yer told when yer told t'do it. It don't matter who tells ya: me, Vincent, Squall, Kiros… y'do what yer told. We're here t'protect ya, keep ya safe, 'cause we don't want 'nothin' t' happen t'ya. This is our job, just as all o' them…," he gestured to the window they had just left, "…is yer job. All right?" He looked at Laguna earnestly, trying to convey with his eyes the seriousness of the situation. "We're here fer you, Laguna, no one else."

"I know, Irvine. I'll do as I'm told, although I still think this is all overkill," Laguna replied, looking up into crystal blue eyes which made his breath catch. He could see why so many women got swept away by their surprising depth. Looking away and shaking off the effect of Irvine's gaze, he mumbled, "I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try anything with half of SeeD in the room."

"Laguna," Irvine said softly, daring to catch the man with a hand behind his neck, and leaning in toward him whispered, "Listen t' me. If someone wants ya dead, it don't matter who's in th' room or what happens t' them 'r anyone else fer that matter. If they want it bad enough, they'll kill ya, even if they gotta kill themselves t'do it." He didn't want to panic Laguna with the knowledge that the fanatical group devoted to the late Sorceress, The Lunar Knights, was upping their activity, but he needed to impart just how important Laguna's safety was to them… to him. By now, Laguna was more than just his President, more than a father-figure, he was a friend and with the right words and actions, Irvine was willing to make it more than that given half the chance.

"Listen to him, Laguna," Vincent said, striding into the room, tugging on the collar of the white dress shirt under his black suit-coat, uncomfortably. "He speaks the truth." Coming to a stop in front of them he nodded first to Irvine – who didn't remove his hand, which surprisingly did not bother him – before looking deeply into Laguna's wide green eyes. He brought his hand up to run the backs of his fingers down Laguna's cheek, "Your safety is paramount to this country, and absolutely vital to me." He only just caught Irvine's breathed 'me too', and he flicked his eyes up to the gunslinger briefly.

The young man had both surprised and impressed him yet again with just how serious and focused he could be. Yesterday he and Irvine, together with Squall, had scoured the auditorium, looking for any place a sniper could hide; and while Squall would be representing the Gardens in the ceremony, there would be other SeeDs placed at all of these positions, and Irvine would be covering the stage from ground level while he himself would be by, and just slightly behind Laguna. He smiled gently and said, "But enough of this talk. Come, let us be done with this. The sooner it is over, the sooner I can relax! Between this damned speech and this horrendous suit, I'm about to require a sedative."

Laguna took a deep breath and nodded, not trusting his words to hide the feeling that had come over him with the proximity of both men before him. This was really not the time to be so distracted. Then again, looking at Vincent in his suit, it was hard not to be. Giving his lover a last look over, he smiled before finally finding his voice. "Okay, I'm in your hands," he said.

Stepping out into the hall, he went on automatic as his mind raced over the speech. He didn't say anything in the elevator and was still quiet as they approached the auditorium. Burying his nerves, he paused at the doors to take a couple more deep breaths before walking through and heading straight for the podium. Pausing as the crowd noticed his arrival and silenced their chatter, he smiled out over the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you all to the fifth anniversary of the defeat of Ultimecia…"

As Laguna's speech progressed, Vincent stood, completely unmoving but for his eyes. They assessed everything. He focused upon his enhanced hearing as well as his sense of smell. As his enhanced sight roamed the crowd, watching for unusual movement or glints of light upon metal, he could hear whispers of conversations, which he evaluated and dismissed as he deemed them unimportant to the current situation:

"I really think he's done a marvelous job with…"

"What do you think of that suit he's wearing? I mean the color is just…"

"Can you believe that man next to him is his lover?"

"I know what I'd like to do to him…"

"Did you remember to leave our number for the babysitter?"

"He's been in office far too long, I don't think…"

"Did you remember to let the dog out…"

"It's almost time, signal the others and get Regis in position…"

There! Vincent frowned as he tried to focus in on that hushed conversation, but there were several groups of drunken noblemen and women that were being way too loud. But he had a name, and he knew to be ready. His skin began to crawl, in the way of most premonitions that would indicate something was either horribly wrong, or about to go that way very fast. Then he caught the dull glint of metal as a weapon was being raised, and he only had enough time to shout, "Irvine!" as he threw himself in front of Laguna just as the quick 'pop-pop-pop-pop' of a semi-automatic rifle shattered the silence between Laguna's words.

He felt four distinct 'thuds' into his back followed by a blistering pain that threatened to overwhelm him. His only thought was to protect Laguna at all costs, so he was only distantly aware of the sudden outbreak of screams, shouts and the scraping of chairs in front of a backdrop of sporadic automatic weapons' fire. With a wheezing grunt he wrapped his arms around his lover and took them both to the ground where he covered Laguna with his body.

When Vincent had shouted his name, Irvine's head had whipped around just in time to see Vincent get hit and he could hear the sound of the bullets impacting the solid bulk that was Vincent Valentine. Then everything happened at once: people rose from their chairs, overturning them and their neighbors' in the their panic to get away, SeeDs began running for the exits, stairs and the stage and Kiros, Squall and himself dove for Laguna and Vincent. He was closest and slid to a stop beside the two downed men, throwing his own body over them both just as Squall and Kiros came up to them.

Four SeeDs made a living wall between the direction the shots had come from and Laguna, and Irvine gently eased Vincent off of the President to roll the ex-Turk onto his back. He winced as he saw blood beginning to trickle from the corner of Vincent's mouth, and a small pool was forming around where the man lay. Laguna too was covered with blood that was not his own. There's so much! Irvine thought desperately, but then his training kicked in. He looked up into Squall's frightened eyes, and was startled to see the beginning of shock there. Although Squall was a mercenary, had seen violence and dealt it himself, it hadn't been his father on the receiving end of it. The fact that Squall was reacting this way said much about his best friend's true feelings regarding the man they were protecting. But this was hardly the time or the place for a father-son bonding moment and he needed Squall's head in the game.

He reached out and shoved his best friend's shoulder, getting his attention. "Squally, you better lock that balcony down, fast!" With a mental shake Squall was up and moving at a run, picking up three SeeDs as he went and yelling at four more. Irvine glanced to his left, and saw two SeeDs watching them in stunned silence, and he barked out loud and clear, "You two! Get up t'that balcony and lock that bitch down! No one leaves ya got me? Grab any other SeeDs y' pass and y'tell 'em those are yer orders. I don't want anyone leavin' 'till I get some names!" When they only nodded, but didn't move he barked, "Now git!" and they were off like bullets fired from a gun.

He turned to Kiros who was also looking shaken. "Go on, Kiros. Yer makin' a pretty target just sittin' there blinkin' those bedroom eyes o' yours. I got this, go on now." After another moment's hesitation, Kiros finally ran in a crouch off of the stage and, flanked by two SeeDs, headed for the safe rooms of the Palace. Irvine jerked his head at the 'wall' of SeeDs surrounding them and looked at Laguna. "All right, Pops, yer gonna go with these four an' they'll…." He was interrupted by a grip on his wrist. Vincent. Locking eyes with the dark-haired gunman he felt an all too familiar clenching in his chest that heralded a serious crash in his confidence.

The man's face was paper-white, there was blood smeared on his cheek as well as a trickle from his mouth, and his breathing was quick and shallow. But despite his appearance, his grip was iron-strong and his eyes were clear and sharp. "You…," he choked with a shake of his head. "…take Laguna…only you." Vincent appeared to be fighting for breath. "I only…trust…you…."

Irvine gazed into Vincent's vermilion stare for only a second longer before he nodded briskly once, as he reached for Laguna. "Alright, but yer goin' t'the infirmary." He signaled one of the SeeDs of the "wall" to call an emergency transport. It was then that Laguna 'woke up'.

"Vincent!" Laguna yelled, pulling himself up on his knees and grabbing his lover's arm as he leaned over his body. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…," he muttered incoherently as he stared at all the blood. So much blood, too much blood! He didn't hear Irvine, couldn't see anything but Vincent lying there as his life seeped out of him. This wasn't happening, couldn't be happening. Someone was saying something and trying to pull him away, but he clung to Vincent's arm in desperation as he willed his lover to live, to not leave him.

Irvine opened his mouth to speak to Laguna, but never got the chance as Vincent latched onto his arm with a vice-like grip. Eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline, he leaned down toward the injured man, alarmed by the sheer terror he saw in those matchless, ruby eyes, "No…hos-hospital, no…doctors!"

"But Vincent, yer bleedin' t'death. Y'need a…."

He was interrupted yet again. "I'll be… fine. Nnnn… doctors…," Vincent slurred as the gunman's eyes rolled up in his head and he lost consciousness.

Irvine stared at the too-pale face for a second longer before he reached up, without looking away from Vincent, afraid that if he did so the man would die, and grabbed the sleeve of the nearest SeeD. With a yank, he pulled the man down next to him and said, "I want ya t' go 'n get Dr. Kadowaki 'n have her come to…," he paused, looking over at Laguna, whose face showed very nearly the same amount of fear as was on Vincent's at the mention of doctors. "…the President's private quarters. Have 'er come alone, 'n dressed in plain-clothes. I do not want t' see a white coat. She will treat Vincent there. Got it?" Irvine turned his attention to the SeeD he was addressing, holding the man's gaze with his own. The SeeD nodded and he said firmly, "Repeat it back."

"Dr. Kadowaki, personally, plain-clothes, no white coat, President's private quarters."

"Good." Irvine nodded and sent the man off at a dead run. Next he turned to Laguna, gripping the man's shoulder hard enough make him wince and look at him as he said, "It's time t' go, Pops. I'll carry Vincent; ya stay in front of me 'n behind these fellas here." He gestured to the SeeDs prepared to run interference should they hit any more trouble.

Reluctantly letting go of Vincent's arm, Laguna stood and did what he was told in a haze of numbness. He watched Irvine drag the unconscious Vincent up and over his shoulder, staring blankly at the large stain left behind on the floor. The next thing he knew they were entering his rooms and all he could comprehend was a blur of SeeD uniforms as people scurried around the room. Seeing Vincent carried into the bedroom, he tried to will his body to move and failed, instead standing in the middle of the sitting room as if frozen to the spot. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way that any of this could possibly be real.

Irvine had to make himself leave Laguna in the sitting room as he took Vincent into the bedroom and with one hand stripped the duvet, at least he could save that, but the rest would be ruined at the rate that Vincent was…. He frowned as he began to strip the gunman, and noticed that the man's wounds had nearly stopped bleeding. "What?" he said to himself as he wadded up the blood-soaked shirt and threw it over against the wall by the bathroom. He gently ran his hands over Vincent's chest, then rolled the ex-Turk over onto his belly and examined the bullet holes in the man's back.

"Okay, Mr. Kinneas, that is quite enough mauling of my patient, now out you go! Go on, shoo!" Dr. Kadowaki said as she strode into the bedroom briskly, the glasses on her nose glinting in the light. She set her bag down on the bed, glanced at Vincent and pointed to the door. "Out."

Irvine threw up his hands defensively and began backing towards the door. "Alright, alright, easy there doc, I'm a-goin'." When he reached the door, he turned and said soberly, "See that he lives doc." He glanced at the door through which Laguna waited nervously in the other room before looking back at the busy woman. "Just… please see that he lives," he said before exiting the bedroom.

Now, he had to watch Laguna slowly worry himself to death. Endlessly the poor man paced, and twice Irvine had to watch Laguna's leg cramp up so badly that he had to sit down awkwardly and wait for it to pass, face contorted in pain. Then he was back up and pacing some more. Finally, Irvine had had enough and placed himself quite firmly in Laguna's path so that when the shorter man turned around he crashed face-first into his chest. Before Laguna could back up, he wrapped his long arms around the other man and held onto him. Put your arms around me, put your arms around me, put your arms around me, he chanted to himself in the vain hope that he could somehow ease Laguna's distress.

Laguna slowly pulled up his arms to return the surprise embrace from Irvine. His arms hung limply around the younger man at first before tightening as a sob broke free of his control. Suddenly he was weeping, his mind spinning as it kept replaying the shooting in his head, over and over. All he could do was cling to Irvine like he was his anchor in the storm and pray that Vincent would survive.

"Oh Pops," Irvine breathed, bringing a hand up to gently stroke Laguna's hair. "It'll be all right. He's a tough son'uv'a bitch. Why, he had nearly stopped bleedin' when I laid 'im down. He'll be back up 'n makin' ya blush b'fore ya know it!" Irvine continued to hold Laguna until the man finally exhausted himself and just stood leaning heavily against the cowboy. With infinite care, he steered Laguna over to the couch and laid the man down, gently threading his fingers through Laguna's hair until Laguna's eyes began to droop.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door to the President's quarters. Laguna jumped and gripped his arm hard, and he could all but hear Laguna's heart begin pounding. "Shh, easy now, it's just th' front door, I'll be right back." Laguna's eyes were wide and wild and kept flicking to the bedroom door. With a sigh, Irvine stroked Laguna's hair one more time before standing and walking quickly to the front door, ready to tear into whoever sought to disturb them at this tense time. Whipping the door open he dragged in a deep breath to let words fly only to let it out in a rush when he saw Squall leaning against the door frame, wearing a unique look of worry that Irvine would bet his personal arsenal his best friend had never worn before in his life.

Harsh words dissolving in his own wave of fatigue, he asked softly, "You okay, Squall?"

Squall looked up at Irvine, unsure of just what to say. He'd come to tell them about the men that had been caught or killed but the words died on his lips. Instead, other questions rose to the front of his mind, demanding to be answered.

"How are Vincent and dad?" he asked quietly, running a hand through his hair nervously. The sight of his father's bodyguard lying in a pool of his own blood was still fresh in his mind, as was the look of complete and utter horror that Laguna's usual happy face had held.

Irvine looked down at the floor as he leaned on the opened door; both surprised and unexpectedly moved that Squall had actually referred to Laguna as his father. "Vincent is alive, and Laguna is in agony." He looked up into Squall's face – so like his father's and yet not – his own blue eyes sad. There was a moment of silence between the two friends before Irvine stepped away from the door and motioned his friend inside. Squall hesitated a moment before entering. Irvine stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Y' may want t' ask him that yerself… I think it might bring yer father comfort. An' he really needs some right now. I'll make some tea."

Slowly, with a weariness far beyond his actual age, Irvine made his way to the kitchen but stopped in the doorway to turn back to Squall, saying softly, "An Squall… ya hurt 'im 'r make 'im upset… there's gonna be somethin' between us that ain't gonna be fixed too quick, y'understand?" Without waiting for a reply he disappeared into the kitchen.

Squall approached the couch slowly, looking over his father's defeated form. Laguna stared back at him, pale faced and looking like he'd already lost the man who had saved his life. Squall couldn't hold his gaze and his eyes dropped to the floor as he came to a stop beside his father.

"Dad, I… I'm so sorry," he muttered, feeling like a fool. His father needed him now and all he could do was stutter and mumble shit. A hand taking hold of his jolted him and made him look down into Laguna's eyes, so full of pain and fear. Squall knew those emotions well. He'd felt them himself when Seifer had first been taken away. Kneeling down, Squall did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around his father and held him.

Leaning on one shoulder in the doorway to the kitchen, Irvine watched son embrace father and smiled. They both needed this. Just then movement caught his eye as Dr. Kadowaki opened the bedroom door just far enough so that only Irvine could see her. She motioned for him to enter and he did so, silently and unobserved. Once inside the bedroom, he followed Dr. Kadowaki over to the enormous bed and the man lying on his stomach upon it. Standing next to the older woman, Irvine looked down at Vincent's broad, scarred back that now bore four squares of gauze taped over four small holes that still continued to weep a small amount of blood and lymph that was tinted an odd shade of green. He let his eyes wander over Vincent's deceptively wide shoulders.

Capable shoulders, he thought, then up to the thick mane of nearly waist-length black hair, pulled over to the side to reveal his slender neck. What he could see of Vincent's pale, beautiful face was relaxed in sleep, making him look heartbreakingly young and without burden. While Dr. Kadowaki's back was turned, Irvine dared to reach out and run the backs of his fingers down the gunman's cheek. He's s'damned soft, he thought while he felt an odd squeezing in his chest. Aw fuck, what's wrong with me?

"All right, Mr. Kinneas, I need you to help me gently roll him over and hold him up while I wrap his chest. Think you can help me do that?" Irvine swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and nodded. "Okay, ready?" Dr. Kadowaki flipped off the sheet coving Vincent's modesty and Irvine couldn't help it. His eyes zinged to Vincent's narrow hips and… he swallowed, Gods help him, that perfect, tight ass. He also noticed that the scars continued down over his buttocks to his thighs. What th' hell happened to you, Vincent? he wondered.

"They're horrible, aren't they?" Dr. Kadowaki asked compassionately. "I cannot imagine the amount of pain this man had to endure to earn these scars. As far as I can tell, they happened in the same time frame to one another." She shook her head. "But that's not the worst part. Take a look at this."

That was when Irvine saw the arm. In prepping Vincent to remove the bullets, Dr. Kadowaki had also removed the ever-present black glove, and he could see that Vincent's left arm from fingers to elbow bore deep, vicious-looking scars: burn scars, scars from stitches, various lacerations that looked like defensive wounds, pitted areas from needles all rendering the flesh to pull tightly over bone and sinew, and giving it a leathery appearance. It's a wonder 'e can use that arm at all, Irvine thought tracing a particularly deep scar that just had to interfere with Vincent's ability to grip with any efficacy and that ran up the inside of the gunman's arm.

"I've only ever seen this kind of trauma in prisoners of war that were subjected to severe torture and abuse," Dr. Kadowaki murmured, then seemed to give herself a mental shake, "But, nothing to be done about that. Come on then Mr. Kinneas, on the count of three: one…two…three." And together they rolled Vincent onto his back. "Okay, now I need you to prop him up and hold his hair out of the way, please."

Standing a little behind Vincent, Irvine lifted up on Vincent's shoulders until the man was in a sitting position, and with a barely steady hand he managed to gather Vincent's glorious – if slightly tangled – hair into one hand. He held the lot of it up and out of the way while Dr. Kadowaki quickly wrapped Vincent's chest in soft bandaging, taking a few swipes over the ex-Turk's shoulders to keep the new bandage in place. All the while she continued to talk as though to herself, and Irvine couldn't help but listen. "His physiology is the most unique I have ever seen, and his ability to heal is unprecedented and most unnatural. Why, I had to actually cut into his body to retrieve those slugs – which were a very high caliber, it was a miracle the President wasn't injured – his body healed itself after me! Hm, and this lymph fluid is not a natural color either, I shall have to retrieve some blood before I leave, to run some tests. This man is terribly unique... All right, we're done," Dr. Kadowaki said, and Irvine, brain still trying to process everything, supported Vincent's head as they both lowered the unconscious gunman back onto the pillows the doctor had dragged into place while he had held Vincent up.

As Dr. Kadowaki busied herself putting away her instruments, Irvine studied Vincent's face a moment longer, fighting an inappropriate urge to lean down and kiss those sculpted lips, and suck on that full bottom lip. He then let his eyes wander again, and he found himself staring at the man's penis, lying flaccid and at rest in a small, neat bed of soft black curls between long, leanly muscled legs. Irvine barely suppressed a moan as he reined in the urge to use his mouth yet again; to tease and lick and kiss that organ into the impressive tool he remembered seeing – and what continued still to haunt his very, wet dreams – three weeks ago. Gods! I am such a sick bastard, that I'm thinkin' o' that while he's layin' here injured.

He jumped when Dr. Kadowaki came up beside him and cleared her throat softly as she gently pulled the sheet over Vincent's waist and halfway up his chest. "You have one of those too, Mr. Kinneas. They're exactly the same in form and function."

Uh, no they ain't, doc. You didn't see what I saw, Irvine thought as he struggled to swallow and his face threatened to melt off from embarrassment. He didn't know how Laguna managed to blush so much and not kill off brain cells from the heat! However he did sober up pretty quickly when he saw Dr. Kadowaki going for Vincent's arm, holding a needle. To him, that just seemed wrong, and he didn't know why. Reaching out, he gently grabbed her wrist and said, "No, doc. Leave 'im be. He's got a bad history with needles I'm guessin' seein' all them needle scars, an' 'e don't need you makin' any more."

Dr. Kadowaki laughed softly. "These won't scar, Mr. Kinneas."

"It don't matter, doc. It's th' principle of the thing," Irvine said firmly. "He'd see it as ya takin' advantage of 'im 'n 'e don't tolerate that real well." When he saw Dr. Kadowaki's skeptical face he quickly amended, "Look, why don' I ask 'im when 'e wakes up? He c'n come to your clinic even… just, don' do this to 'im when he's like this, all right?"

With a sigh, Dr. Kadowaki nodded and returned the syringe to her case. "Okay, Mr. Kinneas. I'm not in the mood to argue and that is most certainly fair. Come; let's leave Mr. Valentine alone to rest."

Together they exited the bedroom – but not before Irvine replaced the glove onto Vincent's hand and arm, reasoning that if Laguna were meant to see his arm then Vincent should be the one to show it, and not have Laguna learn about it this way – and returned to the sitting room where Laguna and Squall were sitting side by side on the couch, the son's hand on the father's shoulder.

"Well? How is he?" Laguna asked nervously.

Irvine nodded and grinned while Dr. Kadowaki smiled and said gently, "He'll be just fine, Mr. President, although I must caution against any exciting or strenuous activity for at least three days… doctors orders!" She laughed when Laguna blushed furiously, and pulled out a holo-card. "I'll be staying in Esthar for the next week, visiting family. Please… call me if you need anything." She handed the holo-card to Laguna. "This is my direct number, no secretaries or answering service." With another, 'He'll be fine' she left the President's quarters.

Stepping forward, Irvine mumbled awkwardly, gesturing to his bloodied uniform. "I'm, uh, gonna go 'n grab a shower 'n some sleep. I'll make my official report tomorrow, Squall, and I'd also like a shot at any 'o those bastards we managed to catch, as will Vincent when 'e wakes up. Try 'n git some sleep, Laguna, all right?" After a nod from both father and son, Irvine Kinneas left the two men he had grown to care about, perhaps a little too much, to go and take a long shower, and drink himself into oblivion.

Squall turned to his father as the cowboy left and noticed that he was staring at the bedroom door. "Dad? Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. Laguna pulled his eyes back to his son, looking dazed.

"No, it's fine. You go get some rest. I'll be okay," Laguna replied flatly as his eyes returned to the bedroom again. Squall frowned, worried at his father's behavior but unable to voice his concerns. He'd never seen Laguna look so defeated and lost.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Squall ventured, not knowing what he could do but feeling the need to at least offer. He couldn't just walk away as he had in the past, especially since he knew how it felt to lose someone that meant so much and Laguna had come so close to losing Vincent.

"It's okay, Squall. I'm just tired. I'll… well, I'll grab a pillow and crash here. Really, I'm fine," Laguna said, attempting a smile that looked painfully fake as he stood up.

"Maybe you should have a shower first?" Squall suggested softly, standing up and looking over his father's blood stained suit. Laguna looked down at his suit and flinched in recognition before nodding his head. "You go and have a shower and I'll watch over Vincent for you until you're finished, okay?"

"Okay," Laguna whispered, slowly turning and walking towards the bathroom. Squall watched him go with a heavy heart, hating to see the man that usually shined so bright, so dimmed by fear and pain. Turning towards the bedroom, he slowly entered before stopping near the door and taking in the sight of Vincent on the bed. Squall felt a stab of guilt at not trusting the man when he'd first met him. It was obvious now how committed he was to Laguna, and Squall decided that he was done with putting up any more obstacles to their happiness. He would step back and let this man be a part of his father's life with no more interference. Sitting down on a sofa by the window, he closed his eyes, going over the night's events in his head as he waited for Laguna to return.

Around fifteen minutes later when Laguna returned to his bedroom, Squall was fast asleep on the sofa. He smiled down at his son as he covered him with a blanket before walking over to the bed to finally look at Vincent. His lover looked so vulnerable that he couldn't bring himself to touch him. Instead Laguna lay down, leaving a space between them and settled in to watch Vincent sleep as he tried to convince himself that everything was going to be okay.


	10. Chapter 10

Back in his own quarters, Irvine shut his door and leaned back on it heavily. Taking a moment to scrub his face with his hands, he pushed off the heavy wood and began heading for the shower, stripping as he went and leaving a trail of bloody clothes behind him. He turned the water on hot and stood under the spray until it turned cold, scrubbing his skin until it became raw. His fervor was borne out of frustration, sexual longing, fear, jealousy, self disgust and a hopeless, unexplainable desire, and he thought if he scrubbed hard enough and long enough he just might be able to ease his misery and make things go back to the way they once were.

But he knew better, as his skin began to wrinkle and his muscles began to shiver with the cold. He knew that when he finally fell asleep, images of Vincent and Laguna would torment him, and indeed, despite the frigid temperature of the water, his body was already stirring itself in preparation for the erotic images he would generate behind his closed eyelids.

With a weak moan he turned off the shower, roughly toweled off and once dry, slipped into the soft robe he had found in the bedroom closet when he had first begun occupying these rooms. Not bothering to close the robe, as he had found his erection to be so sensitive as to be painful, he wandered into the kitchen to retrieve one of the several bottles of bourbon that he kept stocked. It was the only way to get a modicum of relief, and when he was good and numb and not quite able to walk straight he would stagger in to collapse onto his bed and proceed to jerk off until he either passed out or came…and sadly it was usually the former.

It was a pathetic existence he found himself in right now, one that both shamed and disgusted him, and tonight was going to be a repeat of the night before and the night before that and so on and so on. He twisted off the cap and drank straight from the bottle, not even bothering with a glass as he wandered in to sit in the large bay windows of his sitting room.

Listlessly he watched the festive lights of the city, listened to the muffled music and marveled at how the fact that their President was nearly killed tonight did nothing to quell the festivities. Fickle bastards the lot 'o ya, he thought sourly, taking another long pull from the bottle. He found his thoughts turning toward relationships and the only one that had meant anything to him out of the endless marathon of flirting and fucking that made up his life. Selphie. He had loved her, he really had. She had been so lively and cheerful; he had always smiled when he was around her. He laughed bitterly and took yet another swig of bourbon, not even bothering to wipe off the liquid that had dribbled onto his chin.

In the end, he had not been good enough for her and she had let him down as gently as she could, and not two days later he had walked in on her and Zell in one of the faculty lounges. That had hurt like nothing else had and he figured that was when he had stopped caring about others in any real sense of the word. The only exception to that was his friendship with Squall. He had let it all go, there was no sense in dwelling on what could not be changed and he would burn in hell before he went begging back to Selphie for another chance.

He and Zell's friendship had been a bit strained for a while, but when she left Zell, well, they now had one more thing in common and their friendship had repaired itself quickly, but it would never again be what it was. In the end there was only Squall and that friendship would always be there for him to fall back on.

But now there was Vincent. With a breathy, derisive huff of laughter, he let his head fall back against the wall and while one hand continued to tip the bottle up, his other wrapped around his cock and began it's familiar up and down rhythm. That beautiful, exotic gunman and his lover Laguna, who by his own rights shouldn't make him hard, but did anyway. He wanted that, wanted what those two had. He had never considered a relationship with a man before, but somehow with Vincent, it didn't really matter what his sex was.

And Laguna…he moaned and squeezed his hand tighter as he pumped faster. He saw the adoring way Laguna looked at Vincent and he wished someone, anyone would look at him like that… just once. With a sudden harsh, barked grunt he bent over his hand as he came all over himself, then slumped back against the wall and took another drink. Well, drunk and an orgasm, perhaps tonight wasn't so bad after all…

***.***

Kiros let himself into the Presidential rooms silently the next morning, walking over to the bedroom and peeking in the door to check on his best friend and the hero of the night. He was glad to see them both sleeping peacefully and was happily surprised when he saw Squall passed out on the sofa under the window.

Closing the door without a sound, he walked back to the entrance and ushered in the staff he had brought with him, whispering to them to be as quiet as possible so not to wake up the sleeping men in the next room. Kiros watched as they worked to clean up all remnants of blood from the rest of the apartment, even removing Laguna's ruined suit from the bathroom.

Just as he was thanking and dismissing the cleaners, the staff from the kitchen arrived, bringing with them an assortment of food that he could only hope someone would eat when they awoke. Kiros knew from experience how badly Laguna would be taking the events of last night and eating would be the last thing on the Presidents mind, but maybe if the food was already here, Laguna might eat something. As the kitchen staff left, he took one last look around the room and headed for the door, closing it behind himself with a silent prayer of thanks to the gods that everyone had survived the night.

Kiros walked down the hall, intending to go back to the office and catch up on some paperwork when he noticed Irvine's room and stopped in front of it. The cowboy had been a pillar of strength last night and had stepped up and taken control of a chaotic situation like a true professional. Deciding that he should at least check up on the young man and maybe thank him if he was awake, Kiros knocked on the door but got no response.

Twisting a braid between his fingers absently, he tried the door and found it unlocked. Leaning inside, he immediately saw the bloody clothes on the floor and frowned as he looked around the rest of the room. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Irvine, asleep under the bay windows of the sitting room in a state that showed last night had taken its toll on the young man. Kiros entered the room, closing the door behind him and sighing as he tried to work out what to do. Now that he'd seen Irvine, there was no way he could just leave him in such a state. He could only hope the SeeD wouldn't be angry at him for invading his privacy.

Kiros picked up the clothes first, leaving them in a pile by the door which he would take with him when he left. Next he picked up the empty bottle of bourbon from the floor and took it to the kitchen, placing it in the bin quietly. Seeing Irvine in such a state had begun to worry him and he decided it was better to be nosey than leave the cowboy to potentially self destructive behavior. Looking through the cupboards, it didn't take him long to find Irvine's stash of bourbon and he sighed sadly to find his suspicions confirmed.

Chewing his bottom lip, Kiros decided that for now the young man needed to be put to bed. The rest could be dealt with later, when he'd had some time to work out the best course of action. Walking back out into the sitting room he approached Irvine slowly, noticing that he was exposed as his robe was open at the front. Grabbing onto to the young man's shoulder, he gave it a gentle nudge as he called Irvine's name. The cowboy muttered in response, his eyes flicking open to look back at Kiros.

"Come on, Irvine. I'm hear to help you into bed, okay?" Kiros said softly, smiling and hoping that the cowboy didn't react badly to being woken up. He received a garble of mumbled words in response as Irvine nodded, trying to stand up only to nearly fall over when his legs didn't co-operate. "It's okay. I've got you," Kiros said as he put his arm around him and helped him to the bedroom.

When they reached the bed, he lowered the cowboy down as gently as possible and helped him move onto the pillows. Irvine's eyes where already closed when he retrieved a blanket from the cupboard and placed it over him. Leaving the bedroom, he walked out into the sitting room and retrieved the bloody clothes, promising to deal with this as soon as possible. There was no way he would stand idly by and do nothing while a young man with such promise fell apart without anyone knowing. The hard part was working out exactly what he should do next.

***.***

In an uncharacteristic move against his normal sleeping pattern, Vincent regained consciousness slowly, groggily. He knew he was awake finally when his whole body burned and breathing proved to be laborious. So this is what it feels like to be Bahamut's punching bag, he thought painfully. Experimentally he tried to sit up, but his chest would have none of it, and he gave up without much of a fight. He lifted up the sheet and looked down at his nudity, eyebrow rising. Someone had moved him here… where was here? The last thing he remembered was Irvine's face and an auditorium, screams, gunshots, pain. He winced and looked around and recognized first familiar walls, and then a familiar face, relaxed in sleep.

He was in Laguna's bedroom, in Laguna's bed, and someone had dressed his wounds, as unnecessary as that was. Judging by the professionalism of the bindings it had been someone of the medical profession. It was then that he remembered taking the bullets for Laguna, remembered the slugs ripping holes through his lungs to fill them with blood, nicking his heart and making it stutter, and a gut shot that even now made it feel as though a cactuar was embedded in his liver. He dimly wondered why he hadn't broken his limit when he had been hit, but as he lay there and thought about it, he realized that all that energy had been diverted into to keeping his body alive, such as it was.

If he had been any other person, he would have been killed instantly. He heard a soft murmur next to him, and he turned his head to meet a pair of sleepy green eyes looking back at him. Smiling softly, his voice rougher than normal, he said, "Hi."

Laguna lifted a hand to touch Vincent's face but stopped mid reach and pulled it back. His lover still looked pale and his voice sounded weak. He didn't want to touch and maybe hurt Vincent with his usual clumsiness. Smiling awkwardly, he glanced over the man beside him, relieved to see no more blood seeping through the bandages.

"How do you feel?" he asked, sitting up slowly. "Is there anything I can get you? A drink, something for the pain?"

Smile turning into a grin, Vincent pulled his gloved hand out from under the sheet and reached out to Laguna, brushing his cheek gently. "Well, truthfully I feel like pounded shit, but other than that I'm fine." He took Laguna's hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss his lover's palm. "And I have all the medicine for pain that I require right here." His gaze grew serious as he looked over Laguna's exhausted features. "How about you? You look like you have felt better. You need more rest, Laguna."

Laguna smiled and shook his head. "You're the one that got shot and here you are telling me to get rest," he said, amazed at his lover's concern. "I'm fine, you just scared me. Thought I'd lost you and there was so much blood and…," Laguna's voice trailed off as he looked away, his frown returning.

A frown of his own brought Vincent's brows down and he willed Laguna to look at him again. "What?" When Laguna kept his eyes averted, Vincent squeezed his lover's hand. "Laguna, look at me…please." When he did, Vincent asked again, "And what?"

"I thought you were going to die, Vincent. You were bleeding and I… I was completely useless. I just sat there staring while Irvine saved the day. He organized everything, even carried you back here while I just… well, I did nothing. I'm so sorry," Laguna murmured.

"Stop," Vincent said gently. "You did exactly what you were told to do. Irvine was trained to do what he did, and I owe him a great debt for keeping you safe. Oh Laguna." His throat closed off as he watched the guilt and shame play across Laguna's gentle face. "I would take a thousand bullets for you. For them it's a job, for me, it's all about life. Your life, which to me, is a gift." He tugged on Laguna's hand until his lover leaned down, and Vincent braved the angry spike of pain it caused to lift his head and catch Laguna's lips with his own in a desperate, starving kiss.

When he finally dropped his head back onto the pillow with a soft gasp, and a feeling of moisture slowly spreading out from a spot on his back indicating he had opened at least one of his wounds, he wouldn't have changed a thing when he saw the lusty, dazed expression on Laguna's face. He winked and his grin returned. "Besides, didn't I tell you that I don't die that easily?"

"I don't deserve you," Laguna muttered, grinning despite the guilt he still felt. The sound of someone clearing their throat made him look up. Squall was looking at them with an amused expression and Laguna felt his face redden. He'd forgotten all about his son asleep in the room with them.

"Good to see the hero has recovered," Squall commented, smiling at them both as he stood up.

Vincent found himself smiling in return, as at that moment Squall looked so like his father that Vincent could do nothing else. He held out his hand and Squall took it in a firm grip. "I am no hero, Squall," he said softly. "But you have my gratitude and my respect and I would be deeply honored if you would accept my friendship as well. You and your SeeDs acted admirably with both discipline and skill; indeed, I am most impressed."

"Thank you, Vincent. You have my friendship. After all you did save my father's life." Feeling more than a little uncomfortable, the SeeD Commander ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "I better go and get cleaned up. I've got some interrogating to do today. I was planning on leaving the leader of the group for you, Vincent, if you're interested."

Growing serious, the gunman nodded curtly. "Yes. I believe I would like a word or three with this individual. I appreciate you holding them. As soon as I am able, I shall join you at your Garden."

Squall nodded in return, smiling briefly at Laguna and without another word turned and left the two of them alone.

Vincent turned his head and gazed at Laguna's face for several minutes before a distinctive smell caught his attention. Though not hungry himself, he heard Laguna's stomach gurgle. "You should go and get some food. Bring it back in here and tell me what happened. Who tended me?" He placed his fingers over Laguna's mouth when his lover would have responded and jerked his head in the direction of where he figured the food was. No doubt Kiros was responsible for it and he would have to remember to thank the darker man later.

Standing reluctantly, Laguna headed out into the sitting room and smiled at the array of food. There was enough to feed at least six people and he chuckled at his assistant's mothering ways. Looking around, he noticed it had been cleaned while they slept and was thankfully clear of any reminders of the night before. Laguna made a mental note to thank Kiros for his thoughtfulness later and proceeded to make up two plates to take back into the bedroom. He wasn't sure if and what Vincent would feel up to eating so he just put a little of everything on his lover's plate and took it back, smiling at the frown Vincent gave him when he handed him his breakfast.

"Please just try and eat something. You need to get your strength back and starving yourself won't help," he chided as he put his own plate down on the bedside table. "Can I get you a drink? There's coffee, tea, juice or water?"

"I-I appreciate the thought Laguna, but I do not require food. Besides, I am more concerned about you." He set his plate off to the side and attempted to sit up, biting his lip bloody as his lungs screamed in pain. But he fought and pushed through it until he sat propped oddly – and rather uncomfortably – against more headboard than pillow, but at least he was upright. His strength however, was shot and he just sat there weakly, breathing shallowly. Finally he wheezed, "Now… who… tended me?" He shut his eyes while he waited for his body to stop protesting the unwelcome movement. The fact that he was not up and moving by this point, when he should have been, had him a bit concerned and he wanted to know what had been done to him.

Moving the plate away from Vincent, Laguna frowned at the obvious pain his lover was in. Kneeling beside him, he grabbed more pillows and as Vincent leaned forward a little, wincing as he did, Laguna tried to make him more comfortable. "You should of told me that you were still in so much pain," he murmured, helping him to lean back gently as he ran a finger over Vincent's bloody lip. "It's time to drop the macho shit and admit to me when you hurt. Don't you realize that when you hurt, I hurt too?" Moving back off the bed, he looked away from Vincent, trying to hide his aggravation at this man's impossibly self sacrificing personality. Reaching for his phone, he kept his eyes averted from Vincent, knowing that his lover was not going to like what he was about to do.

"To answer your earlier question, her name is Kadowaki and she is the SeeD doctor. You can talk to her yourself when she gets here," Laguna said as he dialed her number.

"What? No… Laguna wait, please. Let me explain!" Vincent exclaimed, sitting bolt upright in the bed, which triggered a coughing fit. Laguna whirled around, phone call forgotten as he rushed to his lover's side. When Vincent removed his hand from his mouth it held blood in it. "Wonderful," he croaked. He cleared his throat, swallowed the blood that came up and said, "Look, Laguna, my body is not healing as quickly as it normally does, that's all." He took the phone from Laguna's fingers, hung it up and discretely stuck it under his pillow. He tugged his lover down onto the bed again.

"My body is essentially dead, Laguna. I do not know what Hojo did to reanimate it, but whatever he did, he made it indestructible and effectively immortal, which you already know. I just need time to heal. Pain is nothing new to me and I am sorry that I have caused you to worry, but I will be fine, you must believe me. I shall attempt to be more open with my state, but complaining never gets a man anything but unnecessary sympathy and I do not wish to burden you with unimportant things. Now please, sit and eat something. It will make me feel better." He didn't want to go into his rabid fear and mistrust of all doctors.

"But you're coughing up blood, for fuck's sake!" Laguna exclaimed, his eyes wide with worry and a million other emotions he couldn't name. "I don't care how immortal you're supposed to be, coughing up blood means something serious. Please, could you just let her come and have a look at you? She's a wonderful woman who I would trust with my life and I wouldn't even let her near you otherwise. Please Vincent?" he begged as his shoulders slumped. He'd seen so much blood, too much blood of Vincent's spilt in the last twenty four hours and seeing more made a wave of panic and fear rise up that he couldn't control.

Vincent sagged in defeat. "If it would make you feel better, Laguna, I will allow it. But there is nothing that she can do and I believe she would also tell you that." It tore him to pieces to see Laguna in such a state, but his fear of the white-coats ran deep indeed. "May I make a deal with you? Give me today. If my body is not in a better state by sunrise tomorrow, I shall relinquish it to this Dr. Kadowaki." He rested his hands on his belly to hide their trembling, not from pain, but from fear. "Please?"

Laguna looked down at his own hands, trying to control the urge to go against Vincent's wishes. Finally getting a grip on his emotions, he took a deep breath and sighed in resignation. "Okay, I suppose I can do that," he whispered.

Laguna knew why Vincent didn't want to have the doctor near him and considering what that Hojo monster had done to him in the past, it was no surprise. A wave of guilt washed over him at the thought. Here he was, pushing his own wishes on Vincent when his lover was weak and vulnerable. Laguna realized he was being insensitive and selfish and he chewed on his lip, worried at how he was responding to everything. Vincent needed him to be strong now and he was failing him again, just as he had last night.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pushing this on you. I just…," his voice broke on the last word and he closed his eyes, hating his own inner weakness. Taking a deep breath and opening his eyes, he met Vincent's gaze with his own. "I'm being a selfish idiot and I apologize. If you don't feel comfortable seeing the doctor, you don't have to. What I want isn't important right now and you know your own body better than anyone else and I have to learn to trust you in that respect."

"Laguna," Vincent said softly, reaching out to grasp Laguna's hand and literally drag his lover over and down to straddle his thighs. He reached up to frame Laguna's face with his hands. "You are not being selfish. Laguna, to hear you say that tells me that you care for me, and makes all this…," he moved his chin in a circle, "…all my pain worth it. Don't you see?" He brushed his thumbs over Laguna's cheekbones. "What you want is… everything to me. To see you smile is worth any price. For you, I will place aside my fear, and if my recovery does not suit you on the morrow then I will see Dr. Kadowaki. You have my word."

"You're too good to me. First you save my life by throwing yourself in front of bullets and now you forgive me for being a selfish prick. I wish I could do something to repay you for everything," Laguna said, grinning down at his injured lover. "Thank you for saving my life and thank you for letting me love you." This wonderful man had turned his life into a fairy tale romance. Laguna just had to come to terms with the fact that he'd ended up as the princess instead of the prince. The thought made him chuckle and he put a hand over his mouth to try and hide his amusement.

Not wanting to ruin a moment, Vincent did not press Laguna to tell him what it was that made him chuckle. Instead he settled back into his pillows and breathed a sigh of relief when his pain faded. "You've already repaid me. By allowing me to be a part of your life and daring to love a monster. So…," he wriggled his hips suggestively, "…does that mean you'll eat something now?"

One of Laguna's eyebrows rose cheekily. "Well, I could eat something, but I'm not sure that you're up to it just yet," he answered, glancing down at Vincent's hips. "Besides, I do have to go to work today and it is getting late."

Vincent grinned predatorily. "Oh, I'm up to it," he said and pushed his newly awaked cock up in Laguna's groin. "Surely you will not deny me my… therapy?"

"Only if you behave and promise not to move," Laguna replied, leaning forward to kiss Vincent slowly. "Well, do you promise?"

Doing his best to pout, Vincent said, "Aw, you're taking the fun out of it."

Laguna grinned as he shuffled down Vincent's legs. "Well, the doctor said no strenuous exercise, so I'm only following orders. If you can't promise than I'll have to just go to work and miss my breakfast."

"Ah, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Laguna. You mustn't neglect your health," Vincent growled, mentally cursing his inability to move. Eyelids lowered over smoldering eyes he finally conceded in a purr, "Very well. I promise to be good."

Pulling back the sheet, Laguna drank in the sight of Vincent's beautiful body, trying hard to ignore the bandages wrapped around his torso. "Now remember," he whispered, leaning forward until he hovered above his lover's cock. "If you start moving, I'll have to stop." Looking up at Vincent's half closed eyes he began to lick his length, slowly running his tongue over it as he watched his lover's reactions. Satisfied that Vincent wasn't going to move, he slipped his mouth over the tip, suckling it lightly. When Vincent's hips bucked up, he removed his mouth and put both hands on his lover's hips. "I said no moving. Last chance," he chastised with a mock glare.

"Tease!" Vincent gasped, head falling back to thump against the headboard. His arms came up to grip said headboard and he groaned when he felt Laguna's mouth on him once more. "I-I… promised to be… be good, not to… not move." Quite on its own, his back arched off of its pillowed rest, and Vincent didn't even feel the resultant pain. As Laguna pulled away from his cock again to look up at him, he panted, "How can I not move when you do this to me? You control my body Laguna; when I see you like that, feel you on me… around me, I can no more control my body than the sun can cease to rise!"

"Where's all that will of steal gone?" Laguna chuckled, resuming his work despite Vincent's inability to stay still. Bobbing his head, he closed his eyes and concentrated on what he was doing, trying hard to make Vincent come as soon as possible and praying that his lover would not harm himself as a result of his actions.

Oh the sweet pressure! Laguna's mouth drug groans from his throat like nothing else ever had before. He pried one hand off of the head board and brought it down to fist in that mass of hair and hold it away from Laguna's face as it bobbed over his dick. Vincent's head lolled to the side as his breathing slowly began to increase from deep and semi-regular to short, gasping pants as he brought his knees up, spreading his legs wider as his eyes rolled back in his head.

His orgasm took him completely by surprise, slamming into him with the sudden force of a locomotive and ripping a short, harshly barked cry from deep within his chest, making him clench his jaw and contract his abdominal muscles. When he finally relaxed, belly and thigh muscles quivering in aftershocks, he stroked Laguna's hair reverently and slurred, "And to think I thought you innocent. I believe you have quite thoroughly proved me wrong."

"I'm way too old to be innocent," Laguna chuckled. He gave Vincent's cock one last kiss before sitting up and trying to ignore how uncomfortable his pants had become. "Now that I've had breakfast, I have to go to work. Think you'll survive without me?" he teased, leaning in to give Vincent one last slow, lazy kiss.

Sighing into the kiss, Vincent replied softly, "I suppose I shall have to. I must heal if I'm to give you the fucking you so richly deserve after that." As Laguna grinned crookedly and began to pull away, Vincent caught his wrist and dragged him back down to kiss his lover again, deeply. "I want inside of you," he growled, reaching down to cup and squeeze Laguna's hard cock. "And if this is any judge of it, I think you want it too."

"Vincent, s-stop. We can't do anything while you're hurt," Laguna whispered, his hips thrusting down against Vincent's hand in a mockery of his words. "Damn it, I told you what the doctor said."

He reached down and put his own hand over Vincent's, trying to move it with no success. Unfortunately, his own hand only made it feel even better and his self restraint was quickly deserting him. "Vincent… fuck… please stop," he begged, giving his lover a pleading look as a last resort.

"I love that look on you," Vincent said lustily, dragging Laguna in for another searing kiss, and while he held Laguna's mouth with his own, his hand began tugging at the waistband of Laguna's pants. "I want this cock… I want it in my mouth," he panted, fumbling a little. "If the doctor says I cannot participate in strenuous activity, then you'll just have to fuck my mouth." He was getting worked up again, licking his lips in anticipation. They both froze when they heard Kiros' voice from the sitting room.

"Laguna? Are you awake?" Kiros called cautiously. After the conference room there was no way he was going in the bedroom. Not that he really believed that either man would be up for anything so soon after the previous nights dramas, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Laguna sighed, his head dropping down as he tried to work out whether he was relieved or disappointed at his assistant's arrival. Looking back up at Vincent, he smiled. "I told you I had to go to work. Looks like even the gods think we shouldn't be doing this right now," he whispered, taking advantage of Vincent's distraction to move off the bed and out of his lover's reach.

Ignoring Vincent's protests, he quickly threw on his work clothes, leaving his shirt hanging out to hide the tent in his pants. Hopefully it would go away before he had to walk out into the hall. Opening up the door, he stuck his head out and smiled at his friend. "Want to come in and say hello to Vincent while I clean my teeth?" he asked, knowing full well that Vincent wouldn't like the idea. It was, however, the only way he figured he could get out of the bedroom this morning.

"Is he awake? I don't want to disturb him," Kiros asked.

"Oh, he's awake alright," Laguna answered, leaving the door opened as he headed for the bathroom and pretended not to see his lover's glare.

With a sigh and a barely suppressed growl, Vincent made a note to make Laguna suffer for this later, and managed to paste a pleasant, if slightly irritated expression on his face. "Good morning, Kiros. Quite an evening we had wasn't it?" Lame, but adequate, Vincent thought, making a show of situating the sheet back over his hips. "I trust you and the rest of the staff survived unharmed?"

Kiros blinked at Vincent, more than a little taken aback to see him looking so well after nearly being killed the night before. "You were the only one hurt," he said, before regaining his composure to continue. "It's great to see you looking so healthy. I have to admit, I'm a little shocked. I thought you'd still be unconscious."

Vincent smiled wanly, "Yes, well, I'm a quick healer. Most do not believe me when I tell them that until they see it. About three years ago I had a Sviet punch a hole in my chest to extract the protomateria that had been placed there so that I might control Chaos. Bullets are nothing, trust me." He sighed and settled back into his pillows. "I am glad that no one else was hurt," he sighed tiredly, resting an arm across his belly. "With any luck I shall be able to report back to duty in the next two or three days."

Vincent's attention was drawn to the bathroom door as Laguna exited. He gestured to his lover, who approached the bed. He reached up to fist his hand in Laguna's shirt and drag his lover's mouth down to his where he took his time plundering that mouth and probing deeply with his tongue, working his jaw against Laguna's as though to devour the other man's mouth. When they parted, Laguna was panting and his eyes were glassy. "Think of me when the throbbing in your cock makes you touch yourself today," he said just loud enough for Kiros to hear, and grinned mischievously when Laguna blushed furiously.

"You are evil," Laguna muttered, cursing his newly revived erection. He'd only just managed to get it under control by standing in the bathroom and imagining a naked professor Odine. There wasn't time to do that again, so instead he left his shirt hanging out and walked towards the door. This was going to be a very long day.

"What is on the schedule this morning?" he asked Kiros, ignoring the way his assistant was looking at his feet and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Mostly it will be a day of reassuring everyone that you're still alive. Oh, and there's a media conference after lunch," Kiros answered, still refusing to look up. "Don't worry, I've limited it to half an hour. Should be enough to kill the rumors circulating."

Laguna closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Great. A media conference was just what he didn't need today. "Is the media conference really necessary? I really don't feel up to any more speeches at the moment."

"Well, we could just release an official statement instead. It won't do anything to stop the rumors though," Kiros answered, finally looking up to see Laguna's tired eyes. "Look, its fine. We can always do the media conference in a week or so."

"Thanks, Kiros. I'd really appreciate that," Laguna said, suddenly feeling the strain of the last twenty four hours. Unfortunately, his erection seemed immune to his mind. Turning back to his lover, he smiled but stayed out of arms reach. "I'll try and see you at lunch. If I don't make it, I'll send someone else to check on you, alright?"

Vincent nodded, smiling wryly. "Yes nurse." Laguna and Kiros had just turned to leave and were nearly out the door when something finally broke through the fog of sexual frustration that clouded his brain. "Laguna!" he called out, and when his lover stopped and turned toward him with eyebrows raised he said, "I want you to keep Irvine with you at all times today until I am able to do so myself. With what just happened I do not want to take any changes. I'll not gamble luck with your life. Will you do that for me?" Laguna hesitated, then finally nodded. Vincent settled back against his pillows and returned the nod. "Then I shall see you at lunch."

After the two men left and he could no longer hear them outside the doors, Vincent waited a moment longer for good measure, then fished the phone out from under his pillows. He needed some answers, and with a grim face, he slowly hit redial.

***.***

Walking down the hall, Kiros stole a glance at his boss and best friend. Laguna seemed to have recovered from last night's trauma and, although he looked tired, he was smiling to himself as if today was just another day.

"How are you feeling, Laguna?" Kiros asked.

"I'm fine, really. After all I'm not the one who got hurt," he answered, smile disappearing.

"Yes but you were the one that was being targeted. I know there's been kidnapping attempts before but this is the first time anybody has tried to kill you. If it wasn't for Vincent, they may have succeeded." Kiros himself hadn't slept at all the previous night, too worried by everything to find any rest.

Laguna stopped walking, turning towards him with a frown. "Yeah, I do realize that. But what am I suppose to do? Stop being President just because someone wants me dead? And when are the rest of you going to stop keeping information from me and tell me about this group of terrorists?"

Kiros flinched at his words. He did feel guilty about keeping Laguna in the dark about the 'Lunar Knights' but it had been a unanimous decision made by all who were protecting the President. "We just decided that there was no use in worrying you. Honestly, Laguna, what would have been the point? It's not like there was anything that you could do about it," he answered weakly, looking down at the floor to try and hide his shame.

He heard Laguna sigh and looked up to see his friend smiling at him. "Okay, I understand the reasons but now that I know someone wants me dead, I'd like to be filled in on the details. I've got to go and get Irvine, but when I get back to the office, could you fill me in on the rest?" Kiros nodded reluctantly.

"Thank you, Kiros. Now, I've got a cowboy to collect so I'll see you there in about fifteen minutes," Laguna finished, turning and walking towards Irvine's quarters without another word. Kiros watched him go, remembering how he had found the cowboy earlier that morning. He could only hope the young man had recovered by now.


End file.
